clovis west update

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Clovis West To Forfeit Titles?
Not So Fast...--(April 22, 2001)

This past week, the Fresno Bee reported that the Central Section Commissioner, Jerry Laird issued a ruling that Clovis West High School will be required to forfeit two seasons worth of boys' basketball victories and championships for using an allegedly ineligible player, Charlie Rodriguez (6'-7" PF). Rodriguez is from the Dominican Republic, and enrolled as a freshman at Clovis West the same year that Jack Martinez and Amaury Fernandez also from the Dominican, enrolled as sophomores at Artesia in Lakewood.

Laird was reported to have informed Clovis West officials by phone this past Tuesday and delievered a letter on Wednesday. According to the letter, Clovis West will be required to forfeit the 70 victories it compiled in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons, including two Tri-River Athletic Conference titles, two section Division1 crowns and a Southern Region championship. Laird's ruling followed a trip he took to the Dominican where he obtained documents which it is said demonstrated that Rodriguez was 19 when he enrolled as a freshman at Clovis West in 1998. However, critics suggest that the documents obtained by Laird are no more reliable than other documents reviewed prior to Laird's trip to the Dominican which were determined to be inconculsive, at best on the subject.

The Bee reported that "According to the official Dominican birth certificate, Rodriguez was born Jan.20, 1979. When he enrolled at Clovis West, Rodriguez used a document that said his birth date was Dec.20, 1982."

Clovis West officials however have said they will appeal the decision, and are exploring various legal options. The school officials claim that they involved Laird in every step they took prior to Rodriguez' enrollment. They claim that Laird declared Rodriguez eligible before his first game as a Golden Eagle.

According to an article published this past Saturday, Clovis West officials confirmed that they will appeal: "Our attorneys are currently reviewing the information," said Kelly Avants, the Clovis Unified School District director of communications. The first step in the appeal process is a hearing before a panel of at least three parties appointed by section president Steve Raupp, the principal at Yosemite High in Oakhurst. If Clovis West is not satisfied with the finding of that panel, it can request an appeal before the executive board, which is composed of two voting members from each of the 14 leagues in the section, plus officers.

"There also is the option of seeking relief from the California Interscholastic Federation, which probably would mean an arbitration hearing, Laird said. "If it gets to the state, things get a little fuzzy," Laird said. "Appealing forfeitures has never reached the state before." If Laird's ruling is upheld, Bakersfield will be declared the 1999 section champion, and Hoover will be the 2000 winner.

Of course, in addition to appealing to the State CIF, there's also the possibility of further legal action as well, and if the Clovis West version of events is correct, they may be able to raise an effective estoppel argument. Additionally, sources indicate that further forensic testing of the alleged birth certificate may be required. Sources have told SoCalHoops that the certificate upon which Laird's present ruling is a document which may not have been certified by appropriate governmental agencies within the Dominican Republic.