Four head coaches in the California prep ranks are taking a stand against a league opponent that they collectively believe are circumventing the rules.
The coaches, who are members of the 5-team Marine League, came out with a joint statement late last month where they represented their respective programs at the four other members of the league - San Pedro, Gardena, Carson and Banning high schools.
Their letter, addressed to LA City Section Commissioner Victoria Lagos, alleges a decade of concerns that they believe have been consistently ignored regarding a fellow league member - Narbonne HS.
Raymond Grajeda (Banning), Michael Christensen (Carson), Monty Gilbreath (Gardena) and Corey Walsh (San Pedro) allege that Narbonne has had over 20 transfers since last season, and that financial incentives that are in the "tens of thousands of dollars" and housing arrangements are among the inducements being provided.
With the integrity of the league and principles of fair competition being undermined, the coaches wrote that "decisive action must be taken," and they've proposed that Narbonne either be suspended from the league or the conference allow their four schools to break off and either form a new league, or join a different league "where fairness and integrity are prioritized."
Until a resolution is reached, the coaches and their programs are staging a boycott from playing Narbonne.
"We cannot, in good conscience, continue to subject our athletes to an environment where unethical behavior is rewarded and their safety is jeopardized. Therefore, until action is taken, we will not schedule or participate in any football games against Narbonne. our programs deserve an even playign field, and we believe that these steps are necessary to restore the principles of fairness, safety and competition with our league," one of the final paragraphs of the letter reads before urging the office to investigate the matters.
Narbonne went 4-6 last fall and is 5-2 this fall, including a forfeit win over Banning from last Friday night.
The remaining three coaches in the letter are set to see Narbonne in the final three weeks of the regular season, starting with San Pedro this weekend, Gardena October 25th, and then Carson on November 1.
See the full letter, courtesy of Eric Sondheimer, below.