Arizona high school sports reporters banned for inappropriate messages to students
Two Arizona high school sports reporters have been banned from covering events because of allegations of them sending inappropriate messages to athletes they were covering.
Jeff and Zach Edgington, 31, are accused of sending inappropriate messages to many high school students they were covering, including asking questions like whether the students had significant others. They are also accused of soliciting photographs — including bikini shots — from some of the athletes, and commenting on their bodies/appearance.
The twin brothers were credentialed as freelance reporters for a scorekeeping app called “ScoreStream” for at least some of the events they covered.
The case was blown open when Ralph Amsden of ArizonaVarsity.com, a sports site that covers Arizona high school sports, told high schoolers to speak out if they received anything inappropriate from either of the brothers. He ended up inundated with examples of inappropriate messages the high schoolers had received.
My inbox is slammed right now with the same message over and over- that one of the brothers asked underage athletes, make and female, for illicit photos via Twitter and Snapchat. I’m heartbroken. We do what we do to help make the prep sports experience better. This is a nightmare
— ArizonaVarsity.com (@AZHSFB) April 30, 2018
According to 12 News in Phoenix, one of the brothers targeted girls with his solicitations, while the other targeted boys.
The Arizona Interscholastic Association acted in response to Amsden’s tweets and said they were banning the Edgingtons from covering events. They also advised schools to keep the twins from attending events as spectators.
The AIA has just instructed that Zach and Jeff Edgington are no longer credentialed high school sports media. pic.twitter.com/fKxSj6VBXk
— ArizonaVarsity.com (@AZHSFB) April 30, 2018
Zach Edgington told 12 News in Phoenix “I do not think that my twin brother or I have done anything inappropriate.”
One school notified authorities about some of the inappropriate actions taken by the brothers against their students. Amsden also told The Washington Post that he contacted the local FBI field office with some of the victims’ stories.
The brothers changed their Twitter accounts to a private setting after the allegations emerged.