Report: Parents suing over Bellevue football sanctions

Calling the sanctions “arbitrary, capricious” Bellevue parents and their booster club are going to court to fight Bellevue football sanctions levied against the team.

Related: Bellevue Coach Butch Goncharoff: ‘This is a set up‘

According to Allison Deangelis with the Bellevue Reporter, the Bellevue Wolverine Football Club, along with Jarrett Johnson, Tami Hansen and Dinny Hansen are suing the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, Kingco Conference, Sea-King District No. 2, and the Bellevue School District. The lawsuit was filed Monday, and aims to overturn sanctions against the team, its booster club and its coaches.

The Bellevue Reporter reports that the lawsuit states:

Whether due to a misunderstanding with BSD about the scope of the investigation or because persons within WIAA had long been jealous of Mr. Goncharoff’s success and desired to bring down the BHS football program, WIAA took the request from BSD as carte blanche to conduct an open-ended investigation into the BHS football program.

Sanctions were placed on the Bellevue High School football team after an investigation into its relationship with its booster club, and other practices. The Bellevue football sanctions state 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. Coaches have been suspended from the program and its feeder programs for two 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.

The lawsuit argues that the booster club and Coach Butch Goncharoff did not violate district rules by paying for a summer football camp. It also argues against the assertions that using the local Academic Institute for its football players was against any rules or dubious.

New booster club amid Bellevue football sanctions

Since the Bellevue High School Wolverines Foot Club are prevented from financially supporting the football team for four years, a new booster club has been formed.

According to a fundraiser event invitation, the new booster club is raising money currently, and is in the process of becoming a legal nonprofit.

The kick-off fundraising event on Aug. 27 will be a casual dinner to support the new booster club and will have local radio talent present. The funds raised will go toward forming the new club, and eventually to the football program. All funds from the booster club to the BHS football program will first be considered, approved or denied by the district.

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