Seahawks’ Pete Carroll weighs in on Bellevue football controversy

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll took to social media Wednesday to weigh in on the Bellevue High School football controversy.

It’s sad & unfortunate that grownups have taken football away from kids because of grownup problems. That’s just wrong. #BellevueFootball

— Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) June 8, 2016

On Tuesday, the KingCo Conference banned Bellevue from postseason play as a punishment for the findings of an investigation that uncovered a series of violations at the powerhouse football program, including that coaches directed athletes to attend the school, that boosters paid for athletes’ tuition, that false addresses were used to gain eligibility and that coaches coordinated tuition payments for athletes.

A swarm of passionate fans urged the Bellevue School Board Tuesday not to fire the high school’s coaching staff. And among the crowd making public comments was head coach Butch Goncharoff, who is at the center of the recent controversy. The school board was initially expected to consider firing both Goncharoff and assistant coach Pat Jones at its Tuesday meeting, but that decision has been postponed.

Carroll was criticized for leaving the University of South California for Seattle in 2010 while the NCAA investigated the Trojans for violating multiple regulations. The NCCA ultimately vacated a season full of USC’s wins because the school either failed to know or put a stop to, running back Reggie Bush taking money. Carroll has maintained that he did not know Bush received payments while at school and that he didn’t jump to the NFL because of looming sanctions.

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