Staff File Photo by Lesley Onstott
Bradley Central head football coach Damon Floyd during a scrimmage.The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has handed down severe punishment to the Bradley Central football program and head coach Damon Floyd after violations in the state's recruiting rule were discovered.
According to TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress, Floyd and the Bears football program have been found guilty of violating Article II, Section 17 (recruiting rule) of the organization's bylaws by sending a text message to a middle school student-athlete encouraging him to convince another student to attend Bradley Central next year.
"When we got the tip we asked Bradley Central to check it out," Childress said. "They did and called our investigators back and admitted that this had occurred. We asked what they planned to do and they took the proper action, which we agreed was the proper punishment. It's basically the same punishment we've handed down consistently to any school that violates the recruiting rule."
The TSSAA accepted a list of self-imposed punishments, including suspending Floyd from all team activities for two weeks (July 27-Aug. 7) as well as the first two games of the 2015 season, against Walker Valley and McMinn County, and placing the program on probation for two calendar years. In addition, the football program has been fined $1,000, had the number of scrimmages reduced from four to two, will not be allowed to play in the preseason jamboree, will have the number of spring practice days cut in half to five, reduced the number of spring scrimmages allowed from two to one and ruled the student-athletes involved ineligible to participate in athletics at Bradley for one school year.
"We made mistakes and learned from it and are moving on," Bradley Central athletic director Turner Jackson said. "We support Coach Floyd 100 percent. What most people don't realize about high schools is that we have no feeder school. Damon texted the younger brother (an eighth-grader) of a former player who was working out with the team. Even though he was working out with the team, you can't text that kid because he wasn't in our building and you can't tell him to tell another kid he's wanted on the team.
"We've had many conversations with our entire staff about it, and we learned from this."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.