It was four long months ago that Bishop Sycamore was the top story in the sports world after pulling off a truly unbelievable con. Now, several months after they were exposed, authorities are confirming just what a fraud the “school” had running.
To refresh your memory, a football team called Bishop Sycamore, that claimed to be based out of Ohio, drew national attention after playing a publicized football game on ESPN. They got blown out by powerhouse IMG Academy, and they were called out by EPSN’s announcers for seemingly being a fake school with a phony roster.
One of the worst parts about the game was that Bishop Sycamore’s football team had played another game just days before getting trounced by IMG!
Further journalistic investigations revealed Bishop Sycamore wasn’t really a school, did not have academic requirements or age requirements, and didn’t have a physical location.
The Ohio Department of Education investigated and came to many of the same conclusions (full report here).
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued a statement regarding the investigation.
“This report confirms numerous disturbing allegations regarding Bishop Sycamore. There is no evidence that the ‘school’ enrolled students this year, had a physical location for classes to meet, employed teachers, nor offered any academic program meeting minimum standards,” the statement said.
“Ohio families should be able to count on the fact that our schools educate students and don’t exist in name only as a vehicle to play high school sports. When an Ohio student goes to school, they deserve a quality education to prepare them for success in the future.”
DeWine has now handed the case over to the state’s attorney general to evaluate whether criminal charges are in order.
“I am today asking Attorney General Yost and other offices with jurisdiction to determine whether the alleged deception by Bishop Sycamore violated any civil or criminal laws. I intend to work with the Department of Education and legislative leaders to implement the recommendations contained in this thorough report,” DeWine said.
The people behind Bishop Sycamore have gotten into trouble before, allegedly running up debts and loans and avoiding paying them, then changing school names to try and throw people off the scent. Now, things are finally catching up to them.
