Bishop Sycamore Hoax: Fake coach Roy Johnson wanted by cops
A football team representing Bishop Sycamore that played a game on ESPN went on to be one of the biggest trends on Twitter on Monday, August 30. The team faced off against IMG Academy (Florida) on Sunday, and the match was broadcast on ESPN's main channel. Announcers were unaware of Bishop Sycamore not being a well-trained elite high school football team. The truth started unfolding after they were trailing 30-0 against IMG who are ranked No. 2 in the country, according to MaxPreps.
The match was terrible, and ESPN had gotten itself into a mess by airing it. The Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor situation has already resulted in the drowning of the troubled network's ship, and this new debacle furthermore sent things south. Bishop Sycamore lied its way to the GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff by saying they had Division 1 Prospects which became clear that it was a lie when the team was trashed 58-0. During the second quarter, commentator Anish Shroff had acknowledged the fact the team's claims couldn't be verified and that it wasn't looking like a fair fight.
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"Bishop Sycamore told us they had a number of Division I prospects on their roster, and to be frank, a lot of that, we could not verify," Shroff said. "They did not show up in our database, they did not show up in the databases of other recruiting services. So, OK, that’s what you’re telling us, fine, that’s how we take it in. From what we’ve seen so far, this is not a fair fight, and there’s got to be a point where you’re worried about health and safety." Shroff took to Twitter after the game to address claims that Bishop Sycamore was the only team who agreed to play against IMG when none of the top HSFB programs in Ohio refused to.
"Sorry. They had no business being in that game today. None. I feel bad for the kids. Player health and safety was at risk today. It was uncomfortable for anyone who watched," Shroff wrote. ESPN was not responsible for recruiting the team and scheduling the game, it was Paragon Marketing Team's doing. “We regret that this happened and have discussed it with Paragon, which secured the matchup and handles the majority of our high school event scheduling," ESPN said in a statement. "They have ensured us that they will take steps to prevent this kind of situation from happening moving forward.”
Sorry. They had no business being in that game today. None. I feel bad for the kids. Player health and safety was at risk today. It was uncomfortable for anyone who watched. https://t.co/Eq39vdywLm
— Anish Shroff (@AnishESPN) August 29, 2021
Who is Bishop Sycamore's coach Roy Johnson?
An Outkick report states BS coach Roy Johnson didn't just lie and get his team of random online post-grads to play HSFB on ESPN, he also has an active warrant in Delaware County, Ohio according to court documents obtained by the outlet. The bench warrant was issued on July 2 to appear in a domestic violence case that was eventually dropped to a criminal mischief charge by the Delaware County Sheriff's Office and still remains active. He will also go to trial for defaulting on a $100,000 loan issued in April 2018 that was never repaid to First Merchants Bank.
“Defendants’ failure to answer the request for admission served upon them proves fatal to their cause,” the court wrote in its decision. “Because of this failure, Defendants have admitted to the Bank’s claim of fraudulent misrepresentation, conversion, and unjust enrichment," the ruling said. The loan issue has persistently haunted him since his time as head coach of Christians of Faith Academy which preceded his role at Bishop Sycamore Hospitality. He also has several lawsuits against him for availing services worth thousands for his players and not paying for it.
ARN Hospitality filed a lawsuit against him in 2019 for housing his players at Baymont Hotel in Delaware County during the fall of 2018 which cost $81.19 per night. ARN says Johnson owes them a balance of $110,685. During the same year, Tailwind Griff LLC, the owners of The Griff apartment filed eviction notices in Franklin County Municipal Court against Johnson. In 2018, Johnson brought his players to LVL Up Sports Paintball Park in suburban Columbus where they shot "thousands of paintballs" but didn't pay for it.
Johnson had told owner Dave Pando that "the person who was supposed to pay" the bill that was over $1,000 would come back later in the day to clear the dues. The credit card which Johnson left with Pando turned out to be useless and no one showed up to pay up.