Although much of the attention from this past week’s TSSAA Legislative Council meeting was given to parameters being set for the state’s new first-time transfer law, Tennessee’s governing body for prep sports also introduced stronger rules to address recruiting.
A good portion of Tuesday’s discussion in that regard revolved around how social media is being used to influence and illegally recruit high school athletes throughout Tennessee.
By day’s end in Mt. Juliet, the council established four levels for the severity of recruiting violations and made sure to put some teeth into how anyone who breaks the new rules will be punished.
“They’re trying to tighten up some things, and I like what they did with the transfer law and how they’re cracking down on the recruiting,” said Sale Creek athletic director Jason Fitzgerald, who is also the school’s football coach. “When we got the new rules, with me being AD now, I met with all of our coaches and let them know what the TSSAA had changed because I didn’t want them not knowing the rules.
“Everybody involved in high school athletics better educate themselves on what we can and can’t do. That includes not only coaches but also the parents and players, too, because the new rules say if a player texts another player, or a booster club member reaches out to the family of a player to encourage them to transfer, that’s a violation.”