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http://usatodayhss.com/2014/miramar-coach-resigns-jovon-durante-eligibility-scandal
The head football coach at Florida powerhouse Miramar High has resigned following an investigation into the school’s star wide receiver, who has apparently been competing despite being academically ineligible to do so.
As reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Miramar star wide receiver Jovon Durante, a summer transfer from Norland High in Miami to Miramar, received a semester GPA below 2.0 at Norland before leaving for Miramar, an academic performance that would deem him ineligible for falling below Florida High School Athletic Association regulations that call for all athletes to maintain a 2.0 or above. According to Durante’s coach at Norland, Ira Fluitt, the senior finished the 2013-14 school year with a 1.87 GPA.
Yet, when he met with now deposed Miramar football coach Matt Strout and the school’s athletic director, Horatio Major, prior to transferring into Miramar he was given an understanding that he would be eligible. To do so, Miramar “fixed” his GPA to a 2.027, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Upon learning of the concerns about Durante’s eligibility, Miramar principal Maria Formoso asked for Strout’s resignation, with the coach complying and confirming Fluitt’s claims that Durante’s GPA did not meet the required standards when he arrived at Miramar.
As one might expect, Miramar officials have steadfastly refused comment about the investigation into Durante’s eligibility, with interim coach A.J. Scott, previously the team’s defensive coordinator, refusing to make players available to speak following the team’s practice on Wednesday.
All of which adds intrigue and focus on a troubling tale of academic malfeasance in search of athletic success. If true, Durante’s inclusion would certainly cast a shadow over the recent success accomplished under the Strout era, if not threatening the program’s larger legacy itself.
By playing Durante throughout the team’s 5-3 start to the season, Miramar could be forced to forfeit all eight games and could face a financial penalty from the FHSAA equal to as much as $2,500 per ineligible player per game. That means Durante’s participation could cost Miramar’s athletic department $20,000.
And just as a fyi Jovon Durante is a WVU commit.
The head football coach at Florida powerhouse Miramar High has resigned following an investigation into the school’s star wide receiver, who has apparently been competing despite being academically ineligible to do so.
As reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Miramar star wide receiver Jovon Durante, a summer transfer from Norland High in Miami to Miramar, received a semester GPA below 2.0 at Norland before leaving for Miramar, an academic performance that would deem him ineligible for falling below Florida High School Athletic Association regulations that call for all athletes to maintain a 2.0 or above. According to Durante’s coach at Norland, Ira Fluitt, the senior finished the 2013-14 school year with a 1.87 GPA.
Yet, when he met with now deposed Miramar football coach Matt Strout and the school’s athletic director, Horatio Major, prior to transferring into Miramar he was given an understanding that he would be eligible. To do so, Miramar “fixed” his GPA to a 2.027, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Upon learning of the concerns about Durante’s eligibility, Miramar principal Maria Formoso asked for Strout’s resignation, with the coach complying and confirming Fluitt’s claims that Durante’s GPA did not meet the required standards when he arrived at Miramar.
As one might expect, Miramar officials have steadfastly refused comment about the investigation into Durante’s eligibility, with interim coach A.J. Scott, previously the team’s defensive coordinator, refusing to make players available to speak following the team’s practice on Wednesday.
All of which adds intrigue and focus on a troubling tale of academic malfeasance in search of athletic success. If true, Durante’s inclusion would certainly cast a shadow over the recent success accomplished under the Strout era, if not threatening the program’s larger legacy itself.
By playing Durante throughout the team’s 5-3 start to the season, Miramar could be forced to forfeit all eight games and could face a financial penalty from the FHSAA equal to as much as $2,500 per ineligible player per game. That means Durante’s participation could cost Miramar’s athletic department $20,000.
And just as a fyi Jovon Durante is a WVU commit.
