Michigan high school football: Belleville suspends football coach Jermain Crowell
Jermain Crowell, who guided Belleville to last season’s Michigan high school football Division 1 state championship, has been suspended by the school.
Crowell is under investigation by the Michigan High School Athletic Association for possible undue influence violations. He did not coach last week in the undefeated Tigers' district semifinal victory over Woodhaven, and he will not coach Friday in the district final against Saline.
“He is suspended, pending the investigation,” Belleville athletic director Joe Brodie said. “I’m investigating and sending what I find to the MSHAA. I don’t know if they’re doing anything on their end or just taking what I’m finding.”
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This stems from a Free Press story in which Detroit King senior receiver Jameel Croft Jr. said he was considering attending Belleville as a freshman after someone reached out to him.
He said he attended summer seven-on-sevens and practices at Belleville before enrolling at King as a freshman. He also said Crowell drove him to the events, an definite MHSAA violation.
Crowell, who did not return calls about the suspension from the Free Press, denied all accusations in a previous story.
The MHSAA may also be looking into other irregularities in the Belleville program, which has been attracting many athletes who do not live in Belleville, an open district and a school of choice.
There are allegations that in June 2019, Crowell and some coaches took Belleville players to Penn State to compete in a seven-on-seven tournament.
That would be a violation of the travel rule, which prohibits teams from traveling more than 300 miles, unless it is to an adjacent state. Also among the traveling players may have been an athlete who was entering the eighth grade.
If true, that would likely spark another investigation.
“This one, right now, is about the current situation with the kid at King,” Brodie said. “(Crowell) is obviously upset, but he understands that this needs to be done.”
Brodie does not have a timetable when he will complete his investigation but said he will turn over all of his findings to the MHSAA.
“It’s in their hands,” he said. “I send them what I find out and then they will make the decision up there when they can. It could be a long time it could be a short time. They have to look into it and do their due diligence as well.”
Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1. Order his book, “Mick McCabe’s Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan’s Best High School Players, Teams & Memories,” at McCabe.PictorialBook.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Belleville suspends Jermain Crowell: Michigan high school football
