Now the public schools are hurting themselves. Pulling out of the LU 7 on 7 passing camp? Pulling out of the big benefit basketball tournament at the Vines? That's just DUMB!!!
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Pittsylvania not part of LCA boycott
By Nathan Warters
Lynchburg News & Advance
May 19, 2006
The Pittsylvania County school system is no longer included among the school systems targeted for a potential lawsuit by Liberty Christian Academy.
The PCS was included in a letter sent to the superintendents of eight public school districts on Tuesday that threatened a lawsuit because of a perceived boycott by the public school systems.
Pittsylvania County Schools Superintendent James E. McDaniel said the PCS schools aren't boycotting anyone.
"I wasn't aware that a boycott was going on," he said. "We're not part of that. We still have games scheduled for next year with LCA, so I don't know where they got their information from."
LCA believes that the area's public schools are giving it the cold shoulder by refusing to play it in any athletic event, and it has decided to take legal action.
Liberty Counsel, an Orlando, Fla.-based legal advocacy group with an office in Liberty University's law school, sent letters to the school districts in the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, Nelson, Pittsylvania and Prince Edward plus the City of Lynchburg on Tuesday stating that if the perceived snub is not lifted, an antitrust lawsuit will be filed.
McDaniel made a phone call upon first receiving the letter to let LCA know that the PCS never planned to sever its relationship with the Lynchburg-area private school.
"I was puzzled and perplexed," McDaniel said of first reading the letter. "I didn't have any information as to what they were talking about. We're pretty far removed from Lynchburg and what goes on in the city of Lynchburg. Nobody here had informed me that there was an issue until I got the letter, and we didn't think there was an issue. There was no reason for us to think there was an issue, from my perspective."
Pittsylvania County Schools became a target for the lawsuit when Gretna High School joined William Campbell and Altavista in withdrawing from a seven-on-seven football passing league on Monday at Liberty University's Williams Stadium.
"On Monday afternoon, I got calls from those coaches from the Dogwood (District)," LCA athletic director and head football coach Frank Rocco said. "They had various excuses why they had to pull out at the last minute. I found out that the Seminole District got to them and pressured them into indecision. Gretna, William Campbell and Altavista didn't so much support this boycott, but at the time they became indecisive, and they chose not to come Monday night. That's where this Gretna situation occurred."
On Wednesday, Rocco received a phone call from Gretna head football coach Chris Thurman. Rocco said Thurman apologized for pulling out of the passing league. Rocco said the game with Gretna has been rescheduled for later this month.
Thurman had no comment on the situation.
None of the area schools are confirming the alleged boycott, which would be valuable ammunition for LCA's lawsuit.
"We're still inviting them to restore us to where we were before they made this decision, and there's, I guess, eight days left for them to do that, so we're still waiting for them to do it," said Liberty Counsel senior litigation counsel David Corry.
All the principals and athletic directors from the eight Seminole District schools are expected to meet at 10 a.m. today at Heritage High School, and Amherst athletic director William Gouldthorpe said the Liberty Counsel's letter will be a topic of discussion.
When asked about LCA and the Liberty Counsel's letter, Gouldthorpe said, "I'll talk about it after the meeting (today)."
Five Seminole District athletic directors were contacted Thursday, and Gouldthorpe was one of two to go on record about the meeting. Liberty's Stewart Grant confirmed the meeting, but would not comment on whether or not the letter would be discussed.
"I couldn't tell you. The agenda sometimes is sent out and sometimes it isn't," Grant said. "I expect the main agenda is the Seminole District tournaments that are coming up. They start on Monday."
Of the Seminole athletic directors contacted (three did not return phone calls), all denied being part of a boycott of LCA.
"I think it's a reach, but everybody's got their own opinion on the subject," Grant said. "I can't speak for them and what they perceive of what we're doing.
"We look to play schools that have to follow the same rules as us, and we'll consider any one who does that, whether it's public or private. Personally, for Liberty High School, we haven't played LCA in anything. In terms of all that, we haven't really played them in the past anyway."
Corry said LCA, which tried but was denied admittance to the Virginia High School League in early February, is willing to abide by the same rules as the public schools.
"They seem to think that LCA recruits athletes and has scholarships for athletes, and that's absolutely not the case," Corry said. "It's a red herring. LCA has agreed, when they wanted to get in the Virginia High School League, they made it clear that they were prepared to play by all of those rules, and they are willing today to play by those rules even if they are not in the conference."
Appomattox athletic director Bob Hudson said schools should be able to choose who they play.
"For us, we just don't have any openings in our schedule," Hudson said. "We play the district schedule and try to play everybody, all the local schools around us. We don't have room. We never really played (LCA) in sports."
Rocco said he's seen more than a few indications that other schools are giving the Bulldogs the snub.
For one, LCA will not be included on either Staunton River or Jefferson Forest's freshman or junior varsity football schedules next season. The Bulldogs played both Seminole District schools the last two years, but Rocco said neither wants to play them again.
Staunton River athletic director Ricky Falls did not return a phone message Thursday.
Jefferson Forest's Troy Doss said, "We as ADs, we schedule games that are going to be in the best interest of the student athletes."
And LCA's perceived snub?
"I really don't wish to comment on their perceived notions on things," Doss said.
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