The Cleveland High School football team has been put on probation for two years following recruiting violations, the Cleveland City School Board announced Monday night.
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) sanctioned the two-year probation after learning of a conversation between Cleveland High School Football Coach Scott Cummings and a student of Cleveland Middle School.
The meeting was between the parents of the student, the student, and Cleveland High School Principal Autumn O’Bryan and Cummings..
Towards the end of the meeting Cummings brought up the bright future of the football program, making the meeting a violation of TSSAA bylaws.
“We apologize to the community and to the board for any embarrassment this may cause us in Cleveland City Schools,” Director of Cleveland City Schools Martin Ringstaff said.
“We have a great, fantastic, honorable football coach who does his job 100 percent. We back him in his decision on what he tried to do to counsel a student and parent in our own school system.”
The two-year probation came a month after TSSAA fined Bradley Central and suspended its coach.
The probation is the first investigation that Cummings has had in his 20-year coaching career. The probation limits the amount of practices, scrimmages (including 7 v. 7) and jamboree participation. The Cleveland football program will also be fined $1,000.
There will be no season bans and there will be no postseason.