Ohio governor now investigating football program after playing Sto-Rox, getting on ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Sto-Rox High School’s football coach said he knew in advance Friday night that Bishop Sycamore was going to play a game three days after their match, but was under the impression they had two separate teams.

Bishop Sycamore has come under nationwide scrutiny after playing two games in three days using the same athletes and allegedly lying to ESPN about athletes on the team fielding numerous Division I college football offers.

>>>READ MORE: Ohio football team allegedly lied its way onto ESPN after playing Sto-Rox days earlier

According to our partners at TribLive.com, the Sycamore coach, Roy Johnson, was asked Friday before the game about playing days later on ESPN and said there were two separate teams. He said there were some overlaps between the lineups. He also admitted that both Sto-Rox and Sycamore wore black uniforms because his team forgot to pack their white ones.

On Tuesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced he was launching an investigation into the football program at Sycamore. His office released a statement to NBC4 in Columbus, Ohio:

“Like many Ohioans, I am concerned by the recent reports and questions raised about Bishop Sycamore. While this weekend’s football game brought concerns about the health and safety of players, it also raised red flags about the school’s operations. Schools like Bishop Sycamore have an obligation under Ohio law to meet certain minimum standards.

“Whether Bishop Sycamore meets these standards is not clear. I have asked the Ohio Department of Education to conduct an investigation into Bishop Sycamore to ensure compliance with Ohio law and to ensure the school is providing the educational opportunities Ohio students deserve.”

Hours before, it was reported that Johnson had been fired from his duties as head coach of the Sycamore program.

Sycamore is not recognized by the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the Department of Education has no information on a charter school with its name.

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