OUR VIEW: High schools responsible for righting their wrongs

Is there anyone that can be trusted with our children anymore?

That’s the message that should be going through the minds of parents across the entire state of Louisiana this week, as the twists and turns continued to evolve and unfold in a wild week of girls’ basketball.

No one is sure who is or isn’t guilty in any of the two cases the LHSAA is investigating.

Sure, there’s speculation from coaches, parents and teammates – but no one really knows with 100 percent certainty what exactly is going on.

Courts are getting involved and attorneys are citing rules and statutes that no normal human being can understand and interpret.

All to get the legal advantage. All to get the leg up in competition.

Do you guys remember a time when high school athletics were second fiddle to actual academics and schoolwork?

We don’t.

It’s been that long since our priorities have shifted – not for the better. But for the worse.

In the past seven days, one of the most prominent girls’ basketball programs in Louisiana was investigated and found to be in violation of a LHSAA rule.

Once the accusation became public, naysayers from across the state hurled other accusations on top of the team.

While most of the accusations are outlandish and false – it’s naive to think dirty play doesn’t exist in today’s world of sports.

Just days after being ousted from competition, the team that took their place in the bracket is now under investigation – again for the participation of an alleged ineligible participant.

When it happens once, it’s a fluke.

When it happens twice in one week, it’s a pattern – a pattern we’d like to see remedied.

No one is downplaying the importance of athletics in a child’s life.

For many, sports are the thing that pulls a young male or female out of childhood and into adulthood.

But a fine line exists between competition and exploitation and the developments around Louisiana this week show that all of our local high schools should look at themselves in the mirror and re-evaluate why they do the things that they do.

For most, the end result would be no change in status quo – or just a slight tweak to an already successful plan.

But to others, a complete overhaul is needed.

This isn’t the WNBA, the NFL or the MLB we’re dealing with here.

These are 15-year-old kids.

And jeopardizing their futures to win a handful more games is just not worth it.

It’s just not right, either.