Hayfield Secondary withdraws from Virginia football playoffs
FCPS superintendent announces reviews in wake of Hayfield HS football controversy
In Virginia, the Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent announced multiple new reviews in the wake of the Hayfield High School football team controversy. That controversy escalated to court and as recently as Wednesday, saw other playoff coaches threatening to forfeit post-season games in protest.
Hayfield Secondary School’s football team has withdrawn from the Virginia Region 6C football playoffs amid an investigation into alleged recruiting violations, FCPS superintendent Michelle Reid announced Monday.
The decision, made by Principal Martin Grimm, comes after new text messages surfaced involving Hayfield Athletic Director Monty Fritts.
In the messages, Fritts allegedly suggested exploiting laws designed to protect homeless students as a method for recruiting top football talent.
In a letter to families, FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid described the texts as "troubling" and said they raised new concerns in the ongoing review of Hayfield’s recruiting practices.
"Human resources staff and internal and external counsel reviewed this new evidence, investigated further, and finally concluded that they provided evidence of potential impropriety," Reid wrote. "The work ahead is critical. We will focus on our students and will ensure a process that never puts us in this situation again."
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School board member demands investigation into Hayfield football recruiting
A Fairfax County School Board member is calling for a thorough investigation into allegations of improper football recruiting practices at Hayfield Secondary School.
The controversy follows Hayfield’s dominant 75-7 victory over Edison High School in the first round of the playoffs last Thursday, a game the team played after a judge ruled they were eligible to compete.
Superintendent Reid also announced plans for a comprehensive, independent review of student-athlete transfer and eligibility practices across all FCPS high schools and sports.
Further updates will be provided on the FCPS website as the investigation continues.
Read the full letter sent home to FCPS families below:
Dear FCPS Families,
I am writing to share a significant update on the current actions regarding our high school athletic programs. This evening, the principal of Hayfield Secondary School announced the difficult decision to withdraw the football team from further postseason play. I have asked Tom Horn, Executive Director, Activities and Student Athletics, to work with VHSL to take any and all appropriate next steps.
Last week, several new and troubling text messages were brought to light and are now part of the ongoing review regarding Hayfield Secondary School recruiting concerns. FCPS can only act on the information that it has, and these messages brought new concerns to the initial investigation.
Human resources staff and internal and external counsel reviewed this new evidence, investigated further, and finally concluded that they provided evidence of potential impropriety. Today, I shared summary information about the inquiry and the evidence of potential impropriety. Today, I shared summary information about the inquiry and the outcome of the inquiry with School Board members.
Yesterday, I announced FCPS' plans to begin a comprehensive external, independent review of FCPS' student-athlete transfer and eligibility practices across all sports and all high schools in the Division.
More information can be found on the FCPS website.
The work ahead is critical. We will focus on our students and will ensure a process that never puts us in this situation again. This work matters.
Warmest regards,
Michelle C. Reid
Dr. Michelle C. Reid
Superintendent