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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-February 29, 2004
Contact: John Johnson or Jack Roberts
517.332.5046 or www.mhsaa.com
Findings Announced Of Amateur Status Rules Violated In Basketball Case
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Feb. 29 – The Michigan High School Athletic Association has issued its findings and conclusions relative to the student-athletes identified during the University of Michigan and National Collegiate Athletic Association investigations into the activities of Ed Martin, now deceased, who provided gifts to student-athletes and their families.
Through the efforts of the media, U.S. Government, University of Michigan , Big Ten Conference and National Collegiate Athletic Association, as well as court documents and admissions of people involved, the MHSAA was provided information that it determined is convincing to a reasonable person and sufficient for a private, voluntary membership non-profit association of schools. Without need for extensive further inquiry, the MHSAA has compelling information that of the four student-athletes who were involved in the University of Michigan/Ed Martin matter, two were in violation of amateur status rules when enrolled in MHSAA member schools.
One of the schools involved, Detroit Murray-Wright High School , has already indicated it will voluntarily forfeit all its games in the 1994-95 season for amateur status violations involving one of its players and Mr. Martin. No MHSAA District, Regional or Final championships were involved in that season.
The other school involved, Detroit Country Day School , when provided the information last October and November, disagreed that the assembled information proves a violation of the amateur status regulation. The school appealed to the MHSAA Executive Committee on that basis and others on February 25 to stop MHSAA staff from deleting references to Detroit Country Day teams and individuals in MHSAA boys basketball records from 1989 through 1991.
The Executive Committee upheld the finding that violations of the amateur status regulation occurred. However, given the time that has passed � up to 15 years � and the fact that there is no evidence that Detroit Country Day School personnel were aware of the violations at the time, the Executive Committee is leaving it up to Detroit Country Day to voluntarily forfeit contests, as Detroit Murray-Wright is doing, and return MHSAA Tournament trophies. Until that occurs, the only change that will be made in MHSAA boys basketball records will be to delete references to the individual involved.
The relevant portion of the minutes of the MHSAA Executive Committee meeting of February 25 can be found on the Association's Web site at: www.mhsaa.com/administration/ecomm22504.html .
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,200 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.-0-
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