SUFFOLK, Va. - A JV assistant basketball coach posed as a player and played in a game earlier this month, the school system confirms to News 3.
The game was played on Jan. 21 against Nansemond River High in Suffolk. The school system says no Churchland administrators were in attendance for the game.
The school system was notified last week and since then the assistant coach, Arlisha Boykins, is no longer an employee of the school system.
Following the report, school administrators met with members of both the JV and Varsity teams. During the meeting, players of both teams said they did not want to continue the season.
The incident was reported to the Virginia High School League. Churchland wound up forfeiting the game.
"When an adult commits to being a high school coach, it's not just about coaching the game. They take on a lot of responsibility. Adults who fail to live up to those expectations - I'll just put it bluntly - they fail students," said Billy Haun, the executive director of the VHSL.
Haun says this is the second time he's heard of something like this happening in Virginia. "We failed kids because we've got a group of young ladies who will now not be able to finish their season because of the behavior of some adults," he said.
News 3 made multiple attempts to reach out to Boykins, but did not hear back.
