Two years later, the Bishop Sycamore story has not aged well.
"BS High" – an HBO Original Sports documentary that debuts Wednesday – will take a long look at Roy Johnson – the architect behind a school that lost 58-0 to high school powerhouse IMG Academy in an ESPN-televised game on Aug. 30, 2021.
The story behind how Bishop Sycamore reached that stage created a viral storm when the fraud behind the school was revealed. Journalist Andrew King and former Ohio High School Athletic Association investigator Ben Ferree co-authored the book "Friday Night Lies," which chronicled that story. Both are featured prominently in the documentary.
At one point in the documentary, King asks, "What’s the difference between a school like IMG Academy and a school like Bishop Sycamore?" before listing off the money and other benefits that come from a strong prep football program. Then, he delivers the difference.
"Bishop Sycamore just skipped the part where they made the kids go to school or do the work," King said.
That – and some of the other revelations from "BS High" will leave viewers with several uneasy questions after watching.
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Who is Roy Johnson?
Johnson – the coach who started a program called Christians of Faith Academy which would evolve into Bishop Sycamore – is the centerpiece of the documentary. Johnson, who filed for bankruptcy this summer, lays out his philosophy: "Do what the people with the money do, even if you don't have the money."
Is Johnson a con man? As Ferree puts it, "He's kind of good and kind of horrible at it."
Johnson initially worked with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, but his goal was to create a school with a dominant football program. That helps explain how the Bishop Sycamore saga spirals out of control. According to "BS High", Johnson has 30 lawsuits against him, managed to create a "school" that ignored OHSAA rules, created a school that did not have a building and managed to play 11 games without financial backing over a three-year period.
Johnson simply didn’t pay for it. “BS High" tells how Johnson met the team’s videographers – Mike Moline and Anthony Marling – at Panera. Moline and Marling say at one point they received $60 over a six- to seven-month period from Johnson.
There was never an actual school with teachers or classes. There was only football. And along the way, Johnson skipped on paying for travel expenses at hotels. According to “BS High," several Bishop Sycamore players took out loans with the Paycheck Protection Program.
There are a lot of layers to the con.
Was Johnson a qualified coach? He was not certified, and there were allegations that the team’s playbook was taken off a "Madden" video game. At one point in the documentary, former Bishop Sycamore quarterback Trillian Harris says, "Roy is not a coach."
"It always felt like there were things we were doing that we weren't supposed to be doing," former Bishop Sycamore lineman Justin Daniel says.
Johnson is unapologetic throughout the documentary, and compares himself to Hannibal Smith from the "A-Team," Magneto from "X-Men" and even refers to himself as "Loophole Larry."
How old were Bishop Sycamore's players?
Bishop Sycamore had no graduates from 2019-21, and “BS High" confirms that several players on the team were either not in high school or had already graduated. One player – Mecose Todd – was a listed as a sophomore junior college running back while playing for Bishop Sycamore.
"Our school was a hybrid of a high school and prep school," Johnson says in "BS High."
Johnson says there is no age limit for high school football. The OHSAA has a rule that once a player reaches 20 years old, they are no longer eligible for athletic competition. When confronted with that, Johnson says Bishop Sycamore had nothing to do with the OHSAA.
Did Bishop Sycamore play two games in three days?
This detail was underplayed when the Bishop Sycamore-IMG Academy game became national news in 2021.
Two days before that game, Bishop Sycamore lost 19-7 to Sto-Rox – a school based out of Pennsylvania. Johnson excuses this with a "that’s football" line, but in an era of increased awareness of player safety, the team played less than 48 hours before taking on IMG Academy at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
"You could not demonstrate less of a regard for the safety of your players then to have them play two tackle football games in a span of three days," Bomani Jones says on "BS High."
How did Bishop Sycamore end up on ESPN?
In 2020 – a season impacted by COVID-19 – Bishop Sycamore played six games. The Centurions finished 0-6, but they played against traditional Ohio High School powers such as Cleveland St. Ignatius and Lakewood St. Edward. Johnson managed to work with high school promoters to get Bishop Sycamore scheduled for the following season against IMG Academy as a result.
How embarrassing was the Bishop Sycamore-IMG Academy game?
IMG Academy beat Bishop Sycamore 58-0 at Fawcett Stadium at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 29, 2021. IMG Academy led 37-0 at halftime. Carnell Tate – a receiver who now is at Ohio State – scored multiple TDs in the first half.
The story on the field is only half of the embarrassment. Several Bishop Sycamore were injured during the game, and the team did not have its own trainers. The social media pileup began during the game – and it became national news throughout the following week.
It was an embarrassment for Ohio high school football that attracted attention from the governor’s office.
What is the legacy of Bishop Sycamore?
It remains an embarrassment. Ohio governor Mike DeWine launched an investigation into the school, and a 79-page report essentially called Bishop Sycamore “explicitly a scam." The state could not take further action, however, because Bishop Sycamore was a “religious school."
It is a troubling example of exploiting young athletes. The documentary points out that IMG Academy made $79 million in 2021. Jones also is vocal in his criticism throughout the documentary. He says Johnson merely is "a symptom of the problem" of exploiting black athletes for financial gain.
It became a viral punchline, but the lack of care for the players both on and off the field is the most troubling part of the documentary.
