CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte-Mecklenburg school officials are trying to determine a fix for a communication breakdown that led to a high school football player taking the field nine days after being arrested and charged with rape.
"We shot ourselves in the foot over this one,” said CMS board member Joe White.
Osvaldo Sombo was arrested and charged with two counts of rape on August 11.
By August 12, Mecklenburg County’s pretrial services had a letter in the mail to CMS, notifying them of Sombo’s trouble.
CMS says the alternative schools department received the letter the week of August 16, but didn’t notify Butler High School until the week of August 23.
The Butler football team won the state championship last year. They won their season opener on August 20. Sombo had three sacks in the game.
CMS says that at that point, the school had no idea Sombo was in trouble.
White is more than concerned over the delay in communication.
"It's more than a concern. I'm actually a little bit irked by the process,” White says.
CMS hasn’t commented on whether or not Sombo was ineligible to play.
"If we truly played an ineligible player and the school didn't know the kid was ineligible, then how do you punish the kid? But the team that they beat certainly has a concern that they were beaten by an ineligible player, so I'm not sure this one is over,” White says.
The state league declares players convicted of a crime unable to play. Those players who face charges may still take the field. Individual school districts can crack down harder if they choose.
Sombo is due in court Wednesday morning.
