The North Carolina state agency that oversees high school sports said Tuesday it would no longer comment publicly on the disqualification that cost Mallard Creek High School a boys track and field state title, after the Charlotte school formally appealed the call to an independent state board.
Mallard Creek filed an initial grievance with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association on Monday, then escalated to the Independent Interscholastic Athletic Appeals Board, which is appointed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green. The board operates under State Board of Education Policy ATHL-013.
Nyan Brown, an N.C. State signee, was disqualified from the boys 4×400 relay at the 8A state championships on Saturday for unsportsmanlike conduct after raising his left hand and holding up five fingers in the final seconds of the race. The 10 points his team would have earned for the win became zero. Durham Jordan, which had led the team standings by two points going into the relay, won the championship.
Video of the finish has now been viewed more than 10 million times across social media, drawing commentary from national sports figures.
In a new statement issued Tuesday, the NCHSAA confirmed Mallard Creek had begun the appeal process and said it would not speak further on the specifics of the case.
“Officiating decisions made during competition are judgment calls administered by certified meet officials under NFHS playing rules and NCHSAA rules relative to unsporting behavior and actions, and are considered final decisions,” the association said. “Under state law, an aggrieved party may challenge the decision of an official that results in disqualification by appealing to an independent appeals board appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.”
The NCHSAA added that it appreciates the work of the officials who apply and enforce the rules during championship events, and that it respects the school’s right to use the appeals process.
Brad Alford, Director for the Office of Athletics at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, released a separate statement on Tuesday confirming the appeals board had received the filing.
“The Appeals Board is currently reviewing the appeal and will issue a decision within 30 days,” Alford said. “Since the appeal remains pending before the Appeals Board, we are unable to comment further on the case at this time.”
The NCHSAA has five days to respond to Mallard Creek’s appeal if it chooses to do so.
Coach Samuel Willoughby, who has disputed the NCHSAA’s account that Brown had been warned earlier in the day after winning the 300m hurdles in state-record time, repeated that claim in an interview with WSOC-TV.
“[Nyan] was never warned. He was never given a personal message to say ‘don’t do this again, we’re watching you,'” Willoughby said. “Never.”
Because the season is over and no playoff round depends on the outcome, the appeal is not time-sensitive. The review could take the full 30 days. Trophies have already been handed to Durham Jordan, and on-site judgment calls by certified track officials are rarely reversed.
Brown, who broke a 20-year state record in the 300m hurdles earlier the same Saturday, finishes his high school career with four state titles and a scholarship to N.C. State, where he plans to join the sprint program this fall.
Reporting from HighSchoolOT, WSOC-TV, The Athletic, and The Charlotte Observer.
