Don’t fault coaches

I am responding to the Mike Vlahovich article in the July 18 Sports section about recruiting players at the high school level.

It seems to me that the system is to blame here.

Consider the fact that the athletes in question participate in local sports year-round. They play on many teams – summer teams, instructional teams – and they also play in tournaments all in preparation for their chance at playing on a winning team in high school and maybe in college. By the time they get to that level, they have created friendships and winning groups that have been nurtured by dozens of coaches and parents alike.

Taking this into consideration, how can the high school coaches be blamed for decisions made months and years earlier by the young players and their folks about which school to attend?

I can attest to the fact that the high school coaches in question know the rules. They also know the penalties for breaking the rules and they just don’t do it.

In the article it said that (Barry) Poffenroth and (John) Seefried “declined to comment publicly.” I appreciate them being gentlemen about this. I am sure they have their own perspectives, but they also realize that the newspaper is not the place to speak out.

Levelheaded authorities at a lower level, one that did not put people’s jobs in jeopardy, should have handled this matter.

Dave Graham

Liberty Lake