Athletic directors from the KingCo Conference have voted to ban Bellevue (Washington) from the postseason for four years, according to a report from the Seattle Times. In addition, Bellevue is prohibited from accepting donations of money, equipment and products from outside entities for the next four years.
The Bellevue football program, which is one of eight schools in the KingCo Conference, has been rocked by a 68-page report conducted by the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association and an independent organization, that found numerous rules violations throughout the program that has captured 11 state championships under head coach Butch Goncharoff.
In addition to the playoff and donation bans, Bellevue will not be allowed to play any non-league football games for two years, and won’t be allowed to play out-of-state schools for four years. The KingCo AD’s also said that if the WIAA vacates the Wolverines’ state championships, the conference will make Bellevue forfeit its conference titles.
A decision on whether Goncharoff should be fired could be made by the Bellevue school board later today. Goncharoff has been placed on administrative leave and school district officials are recommending that the school board fire him because him because of his lack of honesty and transparency in receiving over $420,000 from outside entities since 2009.
