How did a phony Ohio high school end up playing on ESPN earlier this year?



Humiliation for ESPN: School was fake


… ESPN should be embarrassed for their lack of judgment


Back in August, ESPN humiliated itself with a high school kickoff program that featured a team that did not exist. 


Seriously. 


The school was a scam, and ESPN fell for it hook, line, and anchor. 


Last week, after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine asked for an investigation of the school, the state department of education issued a report that made clear that this school was a “scam,” conducted no classes, had no actual school building, but yet convinced a national media outlet that it did exist. 


The football “kickoff”


The game was sponsored by GEICO, but even the announcers questioned whether or not the school was for real. 


Here is some of the background,


The report was issued late last week,


The Ohio Department of Education said Bishop Sycamore High School is "a scam" and was a way for students to play football in hopes of increasing their chances of playing at the college level.


The department detailed its findings in a 41-page report released Friday. It began investigating the school in August at the request of Gov. Mike DeWine after concerns were raised over a blowout football game between Bishop Sycamore's team and Florida powerhouse IMG Academy.


IMG Academy beat the school 58-0 in a game that was broadcast on ESPN as part of the network's GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff series. During the game, ESPN’s own announcers questioned the matchup and raised concerns about the school's legitimacy.


Tyren Jackson, who was described as the school’s head coach, previously spoke out about the controversy, telling NBC affiliate WCMH of Columbus that Bishop Sycamore was “not a school.”


“That’s not what Bishop Sycamore is, and I think that’s what the biggest misconception about us was, and that was our fault. Because that was a mistake on paperwork,” he said in September.


Minyvonne Burke, “School behind mysterious Ohio football team that played on ESPN is a 'scam,' officials say,” NBC News, December 18, 2021


A mistake in paperwork?


What is it?


In short, it is a scam, as the department of education has found. In short, they found that the “students” never attended school,


Many questions have surfaced after a Columbus-based high school football team played Sunday night in a nationally televised game on ESPN.


The contest between Bishop Sycamore and Florida’s IMG Academy at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton was a blowout, with IMG Academy winning 58-0. 


Questions were raised by announcers during the broadcast about the legitimacy of Bishop Sycamore.


“Bishop Sycamore told us they had a number of Division I prospects on their roster. To be honest, a lot of that we could not verify,” one commentator said.


Following the game, multiple outlets reported that Bishop Sycamore also had played a game Friday night in western Pennsylvania.


Here's what we know about Bishop Sycamore:


10 Investigates has discovered that Bishop Sycamore is not listed as a charter school with the Ohio Department of Education.


Last year, it was listed as a “non-charter, non-tax supported school.”A spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Education wrote in an email that: “As of last Friday Bishop Sycamore had not submitted an annual notification to be listed with the Department as a Non-chartered, Non-Tax school for the 2021-22 school year. They have until 9/30 to do so.”


Documents provided by the state from last year show the school planned to use a “blended attendance and learning model” and that both “online and traditional learning.”


Bennett Haeberle, WKYC Columbus, August 31, 2021


In short, a scam, and ESPN should be ashamed for falling for it. The scam was pushed by a marketing group, and ESPN likes to think “Outside the Lines.”


Instead, it humiliated itself.


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