Yesterday, the Ohio High School Athletic Association placed all of Dayton Public school's athletic teams on three-years of probation. This affects boys and girls who play sports for: Belmont, Dunbar, Meadowdale, Ponitz, Stivers and Thurgood Marshall. Why did this happen and what did Mark Baker do?
Baker, who played point guard for Ohio State (1989-1992) and is currently third on the all-time assists list, was named athletic director for Dayton Public Schools in June. Ten months later, the district he is in charge of is on probation due to his alleged actions.
What Happened?
As the 2016 high school football season was drawing to a close, Dunbar and Belmont were fighting for playoff spots and faced each other in Week 10 (the last game).
Baker realized that if Belmont won there would be a good chance both schools would qualify for the playoffs. It is alleged that at halftime, Baker informed the coaches of Dunbar to lose the game so both teams would qualify. From the Dayton Daily News:
That resulted in three successive and bizarre third-quarter plays in which Dunbar appeared to purposely lose yardage. Referees halted play after the ball was tossed to a Belmont lineman.
Coaches of both teams huddled at midfield, where officials said the contest would be called if the integrity of the game were further undermined. There were no more similar incidents. Dunbar won handily and appeared to have qualified for the Division IV, Region 16 playoffs with a 9-1 record.
Another wrinkle in the story is that Dunbar used an academically ineligible player during Weeks 9 and 10 and was required to forfeit those games. It is said that Baker learned of the ineligibility issue during the game against Belmont.
In the end, neither Dunbar or Belmont made the playoffs. The ineligible player doomed Dunbar and the Week 10 loss bounced Belmont. For the complete timeline go here, it is an interesting read.
The Punishment
Along with the three-years of probation, Dayton Public Schools was fined $10,000 and certain administrators must attend compliance meetings. If DPS adheres to the punishment, and does not commit a similar violation during the probation, it will be refunded $2,500 and have the probation lifted.
OHSAA commissioner Dan Ross had this to say about the situation, "It strikes at the heart of what we believe high school sports are all about and that's teaching life lessons and the things you want them to learn as citizens when they're out of school."
He went on to say "For us, it was reprehensible that anything like that would be suggested."
