High school featured on ESPN is investigated, deemed 'scam' by Ohio Department of Education

10:38 AM ET

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio school whose legitimacy was scrutinized after its supposedly top-tier football team got clobbered in an ESPN-televised game didn't live up to its billing educationally either: It turned out to be "a scam," according to an investigation by the Ohio Department of Education.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said he is asking the attorney general and other officials to determine whether any laws were broken by what claimed to be the Columbus-area Bishop Sycamore High School. DeWine said he will work with state education officials and lawmakers on enacting changes recommended by the department to avoid a repeat of the situation.

"Ohio families should be able to count on the fact that our schools educate students and don't exist in name only as a vehicle to play high school sports," DeWine said in a statement Friday.

The state found no evidence that Bishop Sycamore enrolled multiple students this year and concluded it didn't meet minimum standards, including for academic offerings and student safety, according to the ODE investigation launched after the team's televised 58-0 loss to Florida-based powerhouse IMG Academy in August.

Bishop Sycamore's report filed with the department for this school year listed only one enrolled student and stated its physical address as a home in a residential neighborhood.

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