Lincoln, Burrillville fined for ineligible athletes
PROVIDENCE – On the heels of self-reported violations that found Lincoln and Burrillville high schools had ineligible students participating in interscholastic sports during the fall and winter seasons, each school’s athletic program has been placed on probation for one year.
The ruling came down from the Rhode Island Interscholastic League on Monday, as the Principals’ Committee on Athletics (PCOA) reviewed the cases involving Lincoln and Burrillville before rendering a 13-0-1 decision to each school that. besides the probation sentence. also included the levying of fines.
One person with ties to each school refrained from voting.
In Burrillville’s case, concerns arose due to ineligible participants in varsity girls hockey and junior varsity boys hockey. Each Bronco program was forced to forfeit one game, though nothing changed in the standings.
Dealing with the matter internally, Burrillville said that each head coach was suspended for one game. The Principals’ Committee handed out a $200 fine to Burrillville – $100 for each violation. Burrillville Principal and PCOA member Michael Whaley told RIIL officials and his fellow committee members that the fines would be coming out of the respective coaches’ salaries.
At Lincoln, a $200 fine was assessed for violations involving students with ties to the football and boys basketball programs, both at the varsity and junior varsity ranks in each sport. Kevin McNamara, Lincoln High principal and PCOA chairman, declined comment when asked about the rulings, citing confidentiality matters regarding students.
Also Monday, the Interscholastic League took a step to support member schools by reiterating its stance concerning academic eligibility.
A motion about the minimum standard to participate in a RIIL-sanctioned event was unanimously passed (14-0) and states that a student who is not passing 60 percent of his/her course load is ineligible to participate in games (league and non-league) until the end of the quarter or trimester of the next marking period.
Per the RIIL, the athlete must be taking at least four subjects, each involving at least four periods of work or an aggregate of 15 periods of work per week.
“We felt we could do something to clarify the rule,” said Tom Mezzanotte, RIIL executive director. “If you are failing 40 percent or more, you are ineligible from marking period to marking period.”
Individual schools can still adhere to stiffer eligibility standards than what the Interscholastic League uses as a benchmark.
“If you have a higher standard than the league, you have the opportunity when progress reports are issued to see if that student is passing because he or she would have been passing by league standards,” Mezzanotte said.
The Principals’ Committee unanimously approved a change to softball games at the Division I and II levels, which will go into effect this coming season.
If teams play nine innings and the game remains tied, a runner will automatically be placed at second base prior to the first pitch thrown in the 10th inning, which represents a modification to the International Tiebreaker rule as it currently stands. In previous seasons, a runner would trot out to second base if an RIIL contest was tied after seven innings and each inning after that until a winner emerged.
The rule to wait until the 10th before deploying a baserunner in scoring position will be used during the regular season and postseason.