Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff lawsuit is coming soon

A Butch Goncharoff lawsuit is in the works and was announced days after Bellevue parents filed a lawsuit of their own against athletic authorities.

“This is about my right to be heard,” Goncharoff said. “I was never allowed a chance to present my side of the story. WIAA and Sea-King have the power to impact my ability to work for any of its 800 member schools across Washington state – and they have not allowed me to present my case.”

The Coach Goncharoff lawsuit announcement comes within days of another announcement by Bellevue parents and the football team’s booster club. They filed their own lawsuit against the same parties.

Bellevue parents file lawsuit against athletic organizations, school district

The coming Goncharoff lawsuit will be aimed at the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association, Sea-King District 2, the KingCo Conference, the Bellevue School District, and Bellevue High School. The coach argues their actions have amounted to a trial without a hearing — they prohibited Goncharoff from participating in any athletic activities, and placed him on leave for the 2016 season.

The intent to sue asks the court to stop defendants from issuing any penalties without giving notice of hearings or an opportunity to be heard; and void any existing or future penalties resulting from hearings without due process.

The notice also has a claim for monetary damages, though the notice for intent to sue states that Goncharoff’s damages cannot be determined at this time as his “harm is ongoing.”

Goncharoff’s announcement about his intent to sue states:

In closed-door sessions, committee members imposed sanctions based on the district’s self-report and on a flawed WIAA-commissioned investigative report which violated the WIAA’s own policies, relied on unsubstantiated accusations and accounts from sources found to be not credible by an administrative law judge, and showed little understanding of WIAA rules.

“Committee members are making decisions that will not only affect my ability to earn a living, but also set a troubling precedent for other coaches and teachers across the state,” Goncharoff said. “I am fighting to make sure their determination is based on the true facts and not unsubstantiated allegations from a flawed and biased report.”

Before the Goncharoff lawsuit

Coach Butch Goncharoff has served as coach of the Bellevue High School football team for years. The football program boasts an extremely successful record, and many titles.

But a recent investigation into the program alleged that the team used a local academic academy to funnel out-of-district students into the team. It suggested that a financial arrangement between the booster club and the academy kept the practice going. Further investigations found that the booster club was paying into a summer football camp, which in turn paid Goncharoff a considerable sum.

That all goes against district policy, according to the district. Goncharoff and assistant coach Pat Jones were placed on leave, and barred from participating in any athletic activities.

Sanctions were also placed on the Bellevue High School football team. The team will not be able to compete for a title or be allowed to play non-league games for the 2016-17 season. It will also not play out-of-state opponents for four years. The Bellevue High School athletic department is on probation until the 2019-20 school year. The program will not be able to accept donations from outside public or private entities for four years.

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