Columnist Tim Graham: Vegas High drops ball on students

Tim Graham

Thursday, Oct. 29, 1998 | 11:24 a.m.

Tim Graham's column appears Thursday. His media notebook appears Wednesday. Reach him at tim@lasvegassun.com or 259-4078.

Shame on you, Las Vegas High. Shame all over you.

It was you who dropped the ball. You let your students down.

What did it feel like to tell your football team it had been kicked out of the Southern Zone playoffs on the eve of its first-round game?

Did it hurt to see the devastated expressions on your players' faces when you informed them they had to forfeit four games because of an academically ineligible player?

I sure hope so.

But no matter how bad you felt, there is no way your discomfort compares to the pain you inflicted on those poor kids.

Many with intimate knowledge about this sad situation state you were fully aware one of your starting football players wasn't passing a class. They said you knew as early as the fourth week of the season he was getting an "F" in Spanish, according to a story on this page by Sun reporter Spencer Patterson.

Yet you defied Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association rules and let the student play anyway.

There are close to 60 players on the varsity roster. And let's not forget the scores of band and drill team members and cheerleaders. Much of the student body had to be looking forward to showing its Wildcat pride tonight against Cimarron-Memorial.

That game won't be played now.

You cheated them. You gambled with their futures and lost -- big.

You wanted to win so badly you were willing to jeopardize an entire season by prioritizing athletics over academics.

Four seasons of glory are the most any athlete can get. Many get fewer. Some only get one, and this was that one.

Then there are your seniors. They won't get another chance. For them there is no next year.

Tearing down your students wasn't enough for you, though, was it? One of your administrators had the audacity on Wednesday to blame the teacher who wouldn't pass your player. You told the Sun it was her fault for not turning in the proper paperwork that would have warned you.

You lied, the insiders say. That means you're too cowardly to stand up and accept responsibility for your own disgraceful actions.

The sources claim the documentation was filed and you tried to circumvent the process by transferring the student to another class with a teacher who might be more lenient. Then you failed to follow up on the student's progress.

Now this innocent kid, who trusted his school to look out for his best interests, will almost certainly feel some humiliation -- improper as that is -- when he walks the campus. Kids experience a lot of improper emotions when they're confused.

No matter how much his teammates and classmates support him through this trying time, however, he will suffer from this incident for a long time.

That, too, rests on your shoulders.

Las Vegas High, there is no excuse for your dereliction of duty.

This is an embarrassment you created, but it's something your students are paying the price for.