Executive Committee Upholds Wideman Ineligibility
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
For now, Sam Wideman will remain on the sideline.
The volleyball/basketball player, who was ruled ineligible for 365 days by IHSAA Commissioner Bob Gardner earlier, will have to wait until next year to make her Warsaw High School debut on any court. The IHSAA executive committee upheld Gardner's decision and turned down an appeal.
Gardner would not comment on the board's decision, but did talk about his earlier ruling.
"I believe it was based purely on athletic reasons and that was the reason for the ruling of ineligibility," he said. "All factors in the case had to be considered."
Warsaw was informed of the committee's decision Thursday.
"It is an adult problem where a student got caught in the middle," Warsaw principal Paul Crousure said. "That is basically it.
"For Sam I am disappointed," he said. "Eligibility lost is never regained. That is tough to deal with. The IHSAA said the preliminary investigation showed the move was for athletic reasons and the board upheld that."
Wideman has been sitting out the volleyball season after transferring from Tippecanoe Valley and will be ineligible for the basketball season. Wideman was one of the leaders on the Viking volleyball and basketball squads last year as a sophomore. The family moved into the Warsaw district this summer, but an investigation ensued after the IHSAA received the transfer papers from Tippecanoe Valley.
From the investigation, Wideman was ruled ineligible by Gardner on the basis of Rule 19-4, and that decision was appealed to the executive committee, made up of principals and athletic directors from around the state.
Because they have not received the official ruling in writing as of today, Wideman's attorney, Steve Hearn, said the next step has not been chosen.
"We are in process of evaluating it and seeing what the alternatives are," Hearn said. "Any decision has not been made. I think there is a possibility of attaining relief from the court. It has been done before."
Relief from the court could come in the form of an injunction or lawsuit.
"We have not received any word from the IHSAA," Hearn said. "They claim they have mailed it. We haven't received any written determination at this point. It has all been oral at this point."
Hearn said that obviously the decision is a disappointment to Sam and the Wideman family.
"We are very disappointed," he said. "If the IHSAA would have followed their own rule, I do not know how they could have come to the determination that they did."
According to Churubusco High School principal Bill Griffith, a member of the executive committee, it would have taken an overwhelming amount of evidence for them to overrule Gardner.
"I felt like the amount of time and energy and checking into this situation that the commissioner did, he obviously felt that this was the appropriate interpretation of the bylaw and the situation or he wouldn't have ruled as he did in declaring the student ineligible," Griffith said. "It was very difficult for me to overturn that decision."
"I can't speak for the board," he said. "I can only speak for myself. In my opinion, the critical factor centered around the nature of the fact that it was apparent that their was an attempt to flee a negative coaching situation at Tippecanoe Valley that the parents were clearly not happy with. That is a clear violation of IHSAA bylaws.
Two weeks ago, the principal parties involved in the case gave their sides of the situation before the committee.
"If this would have been just another transfer case where there wouldn't have been an issue with the coach, my guess is it wouldn't have ever gotten to the executive committee," Griffith said. "There obviously was a change of address; the question was what motivated that change. In the opinion of the commissioner after an extensive investigation and listening to the testimony of all the parties in that regard, the executive committee obviously agreed.
"You would have to be rather naive to think there were things that under the circumstances weren't kosher in this instance," he said. "That is what I weighed heavily to uphold the commissioner's decision." [[In-content Ad]]
For now, Sam Wideman will remain on the sideline.
The volleyball/basketball player, who was ruled ineligible for 365 days by IHSAA Commissioner Bob Gardner earlier, will have to wait until next year to make her Warsaw High School debut on any court. The IHSAA executive committee upheld Gardner's decision and turned down an appeal.
Gardner would not comment on the board's decision, but did talk about his earlier ruling.
"I believe it was based purely on athletic reasons and that was the reason for the ruling of ineligibility," he said. "All factors in the case had to be considered."
Warsaw was informed of the committee's decision Thursday.
"It is an adult problem where a student got caught in the middle," Warsaw principal Paul Crousure said. "That is basically it.
"For Sam I am disappointed," he said. "Eligibility lost is never regained. That is tough to deal with. The IHSAA said the preliminary investigation showed the move was for athletic reasons and the board upheld that."
Wideman has been sitting out the volleyball season after transferring from Tippecanoe Valley and will be ineligible for the basketball season. Wideman was one of the leaders on the Viking volleyball and basketball squads last year as a sophomore. The family moved into the Warsaw district this summer, but an investigation ensued after the IHSAA received the transfer papers from Tippecanoe Valley.
From the investigation, Wideman was ruled ineligible by Gardner on the basis of Rule 19-4, and that decision was appealed to the executive committee, made up of principals and athletic directors from around the state.
Because they have not received the official ruling in writing as of today, Wideman's attorney, Steve Hearn, said the next step has not been chosen.
"We are in process of evaluating it and seeing what the alternatives are," Hearn said. "Any decision has not been made. I think there is a possibility of attaining relief from the court. It has been done before."
Relief from the court could come in the form of an injunction or lawsuit.
"We have not received any word from the IHSAA," Hearn said. "They claim they have mailed it. We haven't received any written determination at this point. It has all been oral at this point."
Hearn said that obviously the decision is a disappointment to Sam and the Wideman family.
"We are very disappointed," he said. "If the IHSAA would have followed their own rule, I do not know how they could have come to the determination that they did."
According to Churubusco High School principal Bill Griffith, a member of the executive committee, it would have taken an overwhelming amount of evidence for them to overrule Gardner.
"I felt like the amount of time and energy and checking into this situation that the commissioner did, he obviously felt that this was the appropriate interpretation of the bylaw and the situation or he wouldn't have ruled as he did in declaring the student ineligible," Griffith said. "It was very difficult for me to overturn that decision."
"I can't speak for the board," he said. "I can only speak for myself. In my opinion, the critical factor centered around the nature of the fact that it was apparent that their was an attempt to flee a negative coaching situation at Tippecanoe Valley that the parents were clearly not happy with. That is a clear violation of IHSAA bylaws.
Two weeks ago, the principal parties involved in the case gave their sides of the situation before the committee.
"If this would have been just another transfer case where there wouldn't have been an issue with the coach, my guess is it wouldn't have ever gotten to the executive committee," Griffith said. "There obviously was a change of address; the question was what motivated that change. In the opinion of the commissioner after an extensive investigation and listening to the testimony of all the parties in that regard, the executive committee obviously agreed.
"You would have to be rather naive to think there were things that under the circumstances weren't kosher in this instance," he said. "That is what I weighed heavily to uphold the commissioner's decision." [[In-content Ad]]