Two weeks ago, the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals football team was celebrating its 8th state title.
Now, a rally planned for Friday honoring the players and their championship has been postponed because of a growing controversy.
What started with video images of players holding and smoking what were called "victory cigars" has now grown to involve rumors and stories of alcohol being present in the Mooney locker room when the team returned from Canton after the Division III state football championship Dec. 2.
It was two weeks ago Friday when our station first showed pictures of players still in their uniforms with lit cigars taking part in the bell ringing celebration when they returned home from their game. But on Friday, school administrators with the Diocese of Youngstown are confirming the incident is far from over.
"We had reports and people had approached us about the possibility of alcohol being brought into the school, so we were advised to do an internal investigation, which we have done. And then to work with the police and we have already contacted the police," said Dr. Nick Wolsonovich, superintendent of schools for the Youngstown Diocese.
A number of sources have said the incident reportedly involved champagne that the players were spraying on each other like what you might see after a World Series Championship or the Super Bowl. The alcohol, like the cigars, was reportedly supplied by one or more parents of the players.
Wolsonovich said that's something authorities will be trying to determine.
"We expect parents to understand and know the policies of the school and to uphold them. So that's the way parents can support the school and their child's formation both educationally as well as faith-wise," Wolsonovich said.
Mooney Principal John Young issued a memo to school staff on Dec. 12 stating he contacted police on Dec. 8 and "appraised them of the concerns of the CMHS staff and administration as to parents providing champagne for a victory celebration in the locker room."
After the police have conducted their investigation, Wolsonovich said the diocese will review the facts as presented in the police report and hold any and all individuals accountable who are responsible and take appropriate action. He also said administrators would review the actions of teachers and staff that attended the celebration to determine if they acted properly.
Sam Landry is both a teacher in the South Range schools as well as co-chair of the Coalition for a Drug Free Mahoning County. He said regardless of whether it's the holidays, graduation or prom season, or celebrating a state title, parents need to avoid sending mixed messages about alcohol to their kids.
"This isn't the Super Bowl," said Landry. "This is a high school celebration. Where parents allowing in some instances 'well its gonna be OK for them to use alcohol', whenever they chose to, and that's the real danger once you start going down that slippery slope."
And Sue Viars, the director of the Mahoning Safe Communities organization, agrees that parents need to use good judgment when it comes to kids and alcohol.
"I don't think adults realize the severity of it, and that it's not OK, and that they could get in big, big trouble for it," said Viars.
In the meantime, 41 members of the team, most of them juniors and seniors, all have admitted they were holding or smoking cigars that night two weeks ago and all have taken one-day suspensions. And administrators confirm Friday's planned state-title rally has been postponed indefinitely until this controversy dies down.
