All athletic activities at Dallas Gateway Charter Academy have been suspended after school officials did not appear Monday before the UIL’s State Executive Committee.
Gateway Charter, along with head football coach and athletic director Byron Eaton, was scheduled to appear before the SEC to address several alleged violations.
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There were occasions this season when Eaton’s team walked away from and forfeited games before they were completed, and he and his staff had not completed their required UIL training before the start of the season. Gateway Charter, which has run into trouble with the UIL in recent years, also had eligibility issues with individual players.
Eaton showed up to the hearing, but other Gateway officials did not.
“These problems are probably bigger than Coach Eaton himself,” UIL athletic director Ray Zepeda said during the hearing. “I think this reflects a lack of seriousness by this campus.”
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Eaton said Gateway’s principal and assistant principal were busy with testing during Monday’s hearing. When the other officials show, the committee will determine any penalties for rules violations.
On October 24, Eaton and his team walked away from and forfeited their game against Blooming Grove.
“The referee said some choice words to myself and a couple of my coaches that was very degrading and I didn’t want to go back and forth with him,” Eaton said during Monday’s hearing. “He said some racial things to myself. He said some racist things to one of my coaches.”
Eaton explained that he talked to the Blooming Grove coach about potential solutions, such as swapping out the officials or moving to a different sideline, but the referee’s behavior allegedly didn’t stop.
“He continued to display a certain attitude that I didn’t think was going to be good for myself or our team,” said Eaton, who claimed he didn’t want his coaches to keep going back and forth with officials.
SEC chair Mike Motheral, citing the officials’ testimony, said they offered Eaton the opportunity to change officials, but he rejected it.
The committee cited referee claims that Gateway Charter coaches were using vulgar language and threatening actions.
“None of those comments came from me,” Eaton said.
A walk out also occurred on Oct. 31 versus Inspired Vision, after a fight broke out between the players late in the fourth quarter. Players from both teams were removed from the game, Eaton said.
“I just thought it was best. If we played again another fight would start,” Eaton said. “I think they were up two touchdowns maybe or a touchdown … and I was like ‘They can have the game.’”
Zepeda said “there’s a lot to digest” in the incident reports from those two games.
“There’s several officials that talk about the atmosphere on the sideline, the use of foul language,” Zepeda said. “Numerous unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in both contests.”
A Gateway Charter quarterback was also ruled ineligible late in the season.
Eaton, who became the head coach in April, said the student transferred to Gateway Charter last year, and he didn’t have access to his previous athletic participation form when the season started. The student had played varsity basketball last season under a different name.
“I thought he was eligible,” Eaton said.
The District 8-3A Division II executive committee met on Nov. 6 and voted 5-0 to refer Eaton and Gateway Charter to the SEC for the alleged violations. The DEC recommended a public reprimand or probation for the rest of the year.
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