The Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) laid out major penalties and fines against Roosevelt High School and the Seattle Public Schools athletic office this week, as a result of the WIAA's investigation into allegations that the Roosevelt football program recruited players in recent seasons.
The independent investigation found Roosevelt and its coaching staff, including head coach and former Seattle Seahawks player Sam Adams, to be in violation of four of the WIAA's rules regarding rule compliance and illegal recruiting, and determined them to be level three violations, the most serious under WIAA bylaws.
The WIAA's 13-member Executive Board then levied Roosevelt with severe sanctions based on the findings, starting with a one-year suspension and a maximum $2,500 fine for Adams and Roosevelt defensive coordinator Saul Patu.
Assistant coach Dominique Skeen and Roosevelt principal Tami Brewer were also each fined $2,500, along with Roosevelt athletic director Danny Thompson, who was also placed on probation for three years and banned from serving on any WIAA committee during that time.
"(The board) would say it's very unfortunate they had to take this action," WIAA executive director Mick Hoffman said Wednesday. "It was really disappointing for them to read what was found by the fact-finder to be blatant and willful violations related to recruiting ... and enforcement of the handbook."
Brewer and Thompson were disciplined for what Hoffman called "actions taken and not taken in relation to the original allegations," and for statements they made in September to the Executive Board regarding an academic support program at Roosevelt High School called "Kennel Club."
While it was presented to the board as available to all students, the fact-finding investigation found that it was advertised that school year as being only for football players. After the meeting, Hoffman said, it was changed and advertised to the general student population.
"I think the board felt that, whether intentional or unintentional, misinformation was presented to them by the people who are supposed to be overseeing the programs, and that they were not meeting the expectations," Hoffman said.
Roosevelt is additionally required to forfeit all games in which ineligible players participated in the past two years, wiping out the Roughriders' Class 3A state semifinal appearance this past season, where Roosevelt lost to Bellevue at Memorial Stadium, 29-13, on Nov. 30.
Roosevelt football is also banned from postseason competition for the 2025 season, and the athletic department is on probation for three years, starting with the 2025-2026 school year.
Transfers into the school will be scrutinized much more closely for the next three years, as the District 2 Eligibility Committee will review and determine each transfer student's eligibility status.
Any transfer student found to have provided false information to gain eligibility would be banned from athletic competition for one year.
Roosevelt's football program was the subject of recruiting complaints from multiple schools last fall.
In a Sept. 19 email from Thompson to Hoffman obtained by The Seattle Times via a Freedom of Information Act request, Thompson said 18 students transferred to Roosevelt for the 2024-2025 school year with the intent to play for the football program.
Early during the 2024-25 school year, an investigation into the allegations by the school itself found no rules violations, but these new penalties are the result of a report from an independent fact-finder investigation, which the WIAA approved in October after reviewing Roosevelt's internal investigation.
Seattle Public Schools executive director of athletics Pat McCarthy was also fined $2,500, and the Seattle Public Schools athletic department was fined that same amount and placed on probation for three years.
The Metro League athletic department was also given three years of probation.
Roosevelt was found to be in violation of WIAA Handbook rules 3.3.0, 18.0.0, 27.0.0, and 28.0.0. Rule 3.3.0 is titled "Members Compliance With The Rules," and states that, "All member school districts of the Association must comply with all Rules and Regulations of the Association for interscholastic programs," with failure to adhere to the rules opening the program to penalties.
Rule 18.0.0 is the rule that lays out the six separate standards that determine whether a student is eligible to compete in school athletics.
Rule 27.0.0 is the rule regarding illegal recruitment, which states "Students who demonstrate special skills and talent in any of the activities under the jurisdiction of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association should not be subjected to pressures to enroll or continue to be enrolled in a member school outside of their normal enrollment area."
Level three violations, according to the WIAA handbook, are ones that involve recruitment, a "blatant disregard for rule(s)," and a continuous violation of the rules, with violators subject to fines of $1,000 to $2,500, suspension for up to one year of allowable competition, and forfeiture of contests.
Rule 28.0.0 regards penalties for rule violations and says, "The strength of the WIAA lies in the willingness and ability of the membership to support the rules and regulations adopted and, if necessary, to support the penalties placed upon members, if it is determined that those same rules and regulations have been violated."
When reached via phone Wednesday, Adams asked for time to seek more information about the report's findings before commenting, while Brewer did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment. Thompson declined to comment.
In an email sent Tuesday, Seattle Public Schools Chief of Staff Bev Redmond informed Roosevelt parents and students of the reports findings.
"Earlier this school year, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) began looking into concerns about possible recruiting violations related to the Roosevelt High School football team," Raymond wrote. "The WIAA appointed a fact-finder to investigate these concerns. This past weekend, the WIAA Executive Board reviewed the fact-finder's report, which concluded that football players had been recruited to Roosevelt High School in violation of WIAA eligibility rules. The WIAA has informed us that it will be issuing formal notification letters assessing penalties.
"Seattle Public Schools is dedicated to change, increasing accountability, and thoroughly examining our system of eligibility compliance for athletes. We have already updated our process for verifying student residency and school assignment upon enrollment, which impacts athletic eligibility. Our staff is now reviewing the WIAA fact-finder's report and the penalties that have been assessed to determine our next steps."
Hoffman made clear that the fault does not lie with the students in this case, and said that students will not be disciplined as a result of the findings, unless the student intentionally falsified information.
"We're dealing with young people who are processing where adults should know better," Hoffman said. "So the goal is not to punish students. It's to punish, you know, to change really, to change the behavior of the adults who are responsible for the violations."
The full report will be made public after WIAA's legal team is done redacting names and sensitive information.
Seattle Public Schools communications specialist Sophia Charchuk issued a statement to The Seattle Times in response to a phone call seeking comment from McCarthy, saying: "The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has informed Seattle Public Schools (SPS) that Roosevelt High School football players had been recruited in violation of WIAA eligibility rules. The WIAA Executive Board will be issuing formal letters outlining the resulting penalties.
"The district takes these findings seriously and is committed to upholding the integrity of our athletic programs. SPS has already strengthened its student residency and school assignment verification processes, and is reviewing the WIAA's report to determine next steps."
© 2025 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
