Bishop Montgomery Football Program Under Scrutiny: Questions Raised About Archdiocesan Oversight
Bishop Montgomery High โฃschool in Torrance has removed football coach andโข co-athletic director โคEdโ Hodgkiss from his position, amidstโ a growing controversy surrounding player eligibility and programโ practices.The situation has promptedโข questions aboutโ oversight by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, given similar issuesโค at โขanother of its โschools in recent years.
The Southern Section has declared five Bishop Montgomery transfer studentsโค ineligible dueโข to violations of CIF bylaw 202, which includes providing false information.โข This, โขcoupled with player suspensions stemming from anโฃ incident during a game in Hawaii – where playersโฃ left the bench with 24 seconds remainingโ in a loss โฃ- and a subsequent โคforfeit toโ Mater Dei due toโ aโ lackโข of eligible players, has lead to significant disruption for the program.
The influx of transfers โto Bishop Montgomery had been noted within โขthe Southern California football community for months, with officials โawaiting necessaryโ paperworkโฃ for โคweeks.โ
This situation echoes a previous scandal at St. Bernard High School, alsoโ under the Archdiocese’s umbrella.โ In 2020, St.Bernard hired former Narbonne coach Manuel Douglas, who had been investigated and โforced out of Narbonne following a nine-month LA Unified School District investigation. Narbonne was penalizedโ with a playoffโ ban and a forfeit of its โค2018 City title for using an ineligible โplayer. Douglas later resigned from St. Bernard amid an FBI and IRS โขinvestigation regarding funds receivedโ from a โฃNarbonne booster for โขa team tripโฃ to Hawaii. St. โคBernard โultimately discontinued its football โฃprogram in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The Archdiocese of Los angeles acknowledged the ongoing โinvestigationโค in a statement, saying, “The investigation is ongoing and there are no developments to share at this time. The school and the Department of Catholic Schools are in communication with the CIF Southern Section office as โthe investigation โฃcontinues.”
Last spring, Bishop Montgomery’s principal, Micheleโข Starkey, and school president Patrick Lee denied any knowledge of involvement โฃby the sameโ booster connected to the โdouglas situation at Narbonne when questioned by The Los Angeles Times.Concerns haveโ been raised by those within the โBishop montgomery program. A parent wroteโ to The โTimes alleging that returning players were demoted or left the team, โขand that “Archdiocesan Catholic values appear โฃsecondary โto short-term โคathletic exposure.” The parent also stated their June outreachโ to โฃthe school went โunanswered.
Requests for comment โฃfrom Hodgkiss and Lee were not returned.โ The situation highlightsโ a pattern of issues within Archdiocesan schools and raises questions about preventative measures andโข oversight to ensure compliance with CIF regulations and adherence to Catholic values.