After posting the article about the two West Charlotte football coaches that resigned their positions at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, I received a few questions about what punishment(s) the school and the coaches may face.

I cannot speak for CMS about what type of punishment the two coaches and the athletic director may face because as of now they're not guilty of anything. CMS has to be careful about what they say about the specific staff members because personnel information is confidential.

If the three people suspended are found to have purposely and knowingly broken the rules, however, I would hope some disciplinary action is taken. That type of activity cannot be tolerated by any district if an equal playing field is going to be achieved.

I can tell you what disciplinary action may be taken by the N.C. High School Athletic Association.

Under the "Penalty Code" of the Handbook, the NCHSAA lays out the types of punishments that could be sought for individual coaches and the school as a whole.

For schools:

"A school found guilty of infractions inconsistent with a wholesome athletic program may be (1) reprimanded, (2) placed on probation for a period not to exceed one year, with our without playoff privileges, (3) fined, (4) have its home games taken away for a period of time not exceed one year, or (5) suspended from participation in a sport or sports for a period of one year."

For coaches:

"A coach found guilty of misconduct may be (1) reprimanded, (2) placed on probation for a period not to exceed one year, with or without play-off privileges for the team, (3) fined, and/or (4) suspended from directing a team for a period of time not to exceed one year."

My interpretation of these rules makes it sound like these punishments would be primarily for unsportsmanlike behavior. The introduction of Article I specifically mentions unsportsmanlike behavior, but it does not mention intentionally using ineligible players.

Later in the Handbook, there is a section called "Penalties and Fines." Under the procedures, it goes into detail about the use of ineligible players.

The Handbook says that a team must forfeit all games in which an ineligible student-athlete dresses and/or plays. The only exception is if the paperwork on file is proven to be falsified. This was the section that was gone through in detail when Independence was under fire towards the end of the football season.

The section that was not talked about during the Independence issue may apply in this case if it is found that the school officials knowingly violated the eligibility rules.

"A school which intentionally uses an ineligible player shall drop the player from the team, forfeit all games in which he/she participated, and will be ineligible for the playoffs in that sport. The school may also be debarred from taking part in the contests of the Association for one year."

That is a tough statement. If the worst case scenario plays out for West Charlotte, they could be banned from NCHSAA contests for an entire year. That's the school, not just the football team. That could be devastating to an athletic department.

The same bullet-point continues:

"A team which participates in the playoffs while using an ineligible player must return its awards and the revenue from said playoff games to the NCHSAA. Its finish in the playoffs shall be vacated, even if the playoffs have concluded."

West Charlotte made a decent run in the NCHSAA playoffs, and that means they probably brought in a nice wad of cash. If they are forced to forfeit playoff games, they will have to return all of their money earned to the Association. Again, that could be crippling to the athletic department.

The Charlotte Observer reported this week that Superintendent Peter Gorman hopes to make a decision about the West Charlotte case this week. Gorman was provided with a detailed recommendation from the external law firm that handled the investigation.

As we go through the next few days, it is important to remember that right now these are all allegations. There has been nothing proven as of yet. All of the scenarios discussed above are theoretical, and the NCHSAA does have discretion in some cases.

Stay tuned, this story is probably going to get even more interesting.