One of the most notorious names in the American football ecosystem is back.
Bishop Sycamore High School will return to competition on Nov. 9 against Life Christian Academy in Colonial Heights, Va., according to Life Christian coach David Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that his team will play Bishop Sycamore at Rogers Stadium in Petersburg, Va., the home of Virginia State's Division II program.
“They’re looking to rebound and possibly enter into a league we play in. We needed to fill a game, and we were presented with the opportunity. We spoke with their coaching staff and felt comfortable that they were legitimately moving forward in the right direction,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re a Christian school, we believe in second chances, and we wanted to make this happen.”
Jeff Lange/Akron Beacon Journal/USA TODAY Network
As depicted in BS High, a documentary released on Aug. 23 by HBO, Bishop Sycamore is accused of serving as a front for a nonexistent Ohio-based school masterminded by coach Roy Johnson. A Dec. 2021 report from Ohio’s Department of Education concluded that the school was “a scam.”
Little is known of the team’s current state, apart from a cryptic 2022 tweet seemingly promising “a public resurrection” in response to the “public crucifixion” of 2021.
Since there was a public crucifixion, there must be a public resurrection.#PHASE1#THERIGHTWAY pic.twitter.com/NAj5aU0oFY
— Bishop Sycamore (@BishopFootball) September 4, 2022
Per the Times-Dispatch, Life Christian has also attracted scrutiny in the past for its “academic and eligibility standards”—although the school has several bonafide Division I prospects, including a defensive end committed to James Madison.
