Amid Scandal, Bishop Montgomery Football Forfeits Its Season

TORRANCE, CA — A South Bay high school football team forfeited its season Tuesday amid the fallout of an internal investigation and allegations of bribery.

Bishop Montgomery High School officials said in a statement Tuesday that the team would be forfeiting the remainder of games this season amid allegations that the school violated California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF-SS) rules governing transfer players. The announcement also came shortly after a team booster admitted to bribing parents to have their kids play for the school.

Five football players at the South Bay institution were declared ineligible this season, according to high school officials. They appeared to have violated a CIF bylaw involving the submission of false information, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

"We recognize the gravity of this situation, and we are deeply sorry for the lapses in oversight that resulted in violations of CIF-SS regulations," school officials said in a statement to parents and the Bishop Montgomery community on Tuesday. "We are instituting corrective actions aimed at ensuring compliance and preventing such issues in the future."

The announcement came a day after Brett Steigh, a booster and self-proclaimed gambler, went on a live podcast to talk about his role in helping some Southland high schools, such as Narbonne and Bishop Montgomery, secure transfer players by paying parents.

Steigh claimed staff members on these teams didn't know he was paying parents and would lie to them when questioned about new student arrivals.

“Everything I did, I did it on my own. I had no help," Steigh said during an interview on the FATTAL FACTOR podcast on Monday. "I take full responsibility for everything.”

Bishop Montgomery's president, Patrick Lee, denied any connection to Steigh, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

Bishop Montgomery school officials said they reported themselves to the CIF-SS and took "immediate action" to address the situation after finding out they had violated league rules related to transfer students.

School officials also announced that its football coach, Ed Hodgkiss, was no longer employed at the institution. However, it is unclear if he resigned or was terminated. For the time being, Mike Hall will serve as an interim head coach, according to Bishop Montgomery school officials.

"As the investigation is ongoing, there may be further changes to our varsity football program as needed," according to school officials. "Bishop Montgomery is committed to working actively with the CIF-SS and the Catholic Athletic Association to restore trust in our school and our program."

The Bishop Montgomery Knights had only played one game this season, which ended following a brawl against Hawaii's St. Louis High School, according to the Daily Breeze. The team had to forfeit its next game against Mater Dei, a football powerhouse and the No. 1-ranked team, after the school declared it did not have enough players for the game, according to the Daily Breeze.