SUFFOLK, Va. — A junior varsity assistant basketball coach at Churchland High School posed as a player and played in a game against Nansemond River High School earlier this month.
The game was played on Jan. 21. The school system said no Churchland administrators were at the game.
The school was notified last week and since then the assistant coach, Arlisha Boykins, is no longer an employee.
Following the report, school administrators met with members of both the junior varsity 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 (VHSL). 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 said 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.
