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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine updates investigation into Bishop Sycamore, will pursue alleged deception
By Keith Farner
Published:
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine offered an update into the investigation of Bishop Sycamore, the high school team that duped ESPN in August in a game against IMG Academy that was aired on the Worldwide Leader.
DeWine said he would ask the state’s attorney general to “determine whether the alleged deception by Bishop Sycamore violated any civil or criminal laws.”
DeWine ordered an investigation of the situation in August, and he gave an update on Friday that said the report revealed numerous disturbing allegations, including no evidence that the school enrolled students this year, had a physical location for classes to meet, employed teachers, or offered minimum academic program standards.
Head football coach Roy Johnson was fired after the 58-0 loss to IMG. It was a situation where the school said it had several Division I prospects, but ESPN couldn’t verify that claim, and many of the players may have been older than high-school age.
In a required report filed with the state last year, Bishop Sycamore reported having just 3 enrolled students learning in a blended model of “online and traditional learning,” and its address was listed as a library at a university in downtown Columbus that now says it didn’t actually end up renting space to the school, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Remember Bishop Sycamore? The Ohio “high school” that played on ESPN? @GovMikeDeWine on the investigation ⬇️
“I am today asking @OhioAG and other offices with jurisdiction to determine whether the alleged deception by Bishop Sycamore violated any civil or criminal laws.” @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/8U1xpT5MGO
— Trevor Peters (@TrevorPetersTV) December 17, 2021
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
