RETIRES AS CHAMPION -- North Bergen legendary football coach Vince Ascolese learned Thursday morning that the NJSIAA's controversies committee ruled that the Bruins get to keep the state championship they won in December.
NORTH BERGEN – The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s controversies committee ruled Thursday morning that the North Bergen High School football team will get to keep the 2011 NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group IV state championship the Bruins won in thrilling fashion last December at MetLife Stadium.
The seven-member panel, comprised of former and current athletic coaches, administrators and school administrators, decided not to penalize North Bergen by stripping the Bruins of their title, and rather levied a two-year probationary period on the program, where the school principal, athletic director and guidance officers will have to be monitored for future eligibility requirements.
“The school will be permitted to retain its championship,” the final report from the NJSIAA reads. “The Committee does not take this step lightly and reserves the NJSIAA’s right to prohibit the North Bergen football program from championship competition in the future if the school violates NJSIAA rules during the period of probation. The Committee believes, however, that under the unique circumstances of this case this step is warranted.”
The NJSIAA investigated a newspaper report that legendary football coach Vince Ascolese, now since retired, had illegally recruited two students to play for the Bruins, but the NJSIAA found no evidence that Ascolese had recruited either of the players, thus the reason for not stripping the Bruins of the title.
The ruling enables the Bruins' fairy tale season to stand. The Bruins won two state playoff games in thrilling fashion, including an overtime thriller against neighboring rival Union City, before upsetting Montclair in the state title game, 14-13, a game that no one thought the Bruins had a chance to win. It was also the final game after a storied 50-year coaching career for Ascolese, who coached his grandson, Vin, in that championship game. The Bruins also won that championship game on the game's final play. -- Jim Hague
2.
Athletic recruitment is defined as any effort to proselytize, pressure, urge or entice a student to enroll in or
transfer to a school for athletic purposes. It is a violation for a member school to engage in athletic
recruitment or for a student-athlete to enroll in or transfer to a school as a result of athletic recruitment.
Athletic recruitment includes, but is not limited to:
a.
Using mail, letters, brochures, or news media to compare high schools and to point out the athletic assets of the sender;
b.
Engaging in proselytizing interviews, initiated by school personnel or associates;
c.
Offering athletic scholarships, free tuition or other monetary assistance, either from the school
directly or indirectly through some affiliated body or individual, to induce a student to attend the school for athletic reasons.
3.
A member school shall be responsible for athletic recruitment by anyone associated with the school or acting at the direction of the school, including but not limited to administration, staff, coaches, students, parents, booster clubs, or any organization having a connection with the school
If one tries to claim the coach did not know how students ended up in the house owned by him and next door to him but his family members were responsible, look at section 3 above. The school is responsible even if students or parents do the recruiting. This would include his duaghter and grandson.
Here is another link describing what took place:
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20120507/NJSPORTS0110/305070059/Commentary-NJSIAA-lost-credibility-North-Bergen-ruling?odyssey=nav|head
What a joke! Yes, you're absolutely right, it says there's no evidence he DIRECTLY recruited them, but they did find that several members of his family did as well as school staff (that's redundant).
And it goes on to say, "Because he is now retired, there will be no penalty against Ascolese -- though the association reserves the right to reconsider this determination if he ever returns to coaching."
If you want to be literal, where exactly does it say he was "cleared"? The program was placed on a 2-year probation and they claim the only reason they didn't impose a penalty on Ascolese was because he's retired - a crock of you know what.
Today, the governing body for high school sports in the state issued a sharp reprimand of Ascolese, saying he recruited two star players who were part of the title run and placing the school’s football program on a two-year probation.
In a report released this morning to The Star-Ledger, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association found that Ascolese — with the help of a daughter, son and grandson — lured the players to North Bergen. First, the report says, the coach’s family urged them to transfer schools, and then Ascolese rented them apartments at bargain prices in a house next door to the coach’s own home.
I believe the StarLedger account to be more factual. Here is a link to it for those who want to know the real conclusions:
http://www.nj.com/hssports/blog/football/index.ssf/2012/05/north_bergen_football_program_placed_on_probation_for_recruiting.html
Look at the statement directly from page 37, Article V of the NJSIAA guidelines:
CL 1 Although the penalty of forfeiture for the use of an ineligible player is mandatory and unappealable to the Executive Committee, the school may appeal the determination of eligibility provided such request for waiver occurs prior to the participation by the Student-Athlete.
CL 2 Participation by an ineligible player in any game during the regular season results in forfeiture of said game. If such forfeit(s) would have caused the school’s failure to qualify for the tournament or if an ineligible player participates in a tournament game, said SCHOOL will be disqualified from the tournament immediately, unless the championship has been concluded, and their last opponent will advance in their place. Schools eliminated prior to the last opponent will not re-enter tournament competition.
http://www.njsiaa.org/REFERENCES/10-11njsiaaConstitutionBylaw.pdf
Something is up if Executive Committee ignores their own guidelines. So what happened here?
I have the report...it says that there was no evidence that Ascolese did not personally recruit the kids...
It's quoted from the report...