DAGSBORO, DE - The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) has officially found Indian River High School (IRHS) in violation of interscholastic athletic regulations after some of the school's football team appeared in a local commercial.
The DIAA first launched their investigation into IRHS after players appeared in a Hershey Exteriors ad, produced by Draper Media, that aired on local stations beginning September 8th. That commercial has since been pulled from rotation.
On October 22nd, the DIAA announced their investigation had found the players appearing in the commercial violated a DIAA rule that prohibits the use of student athletes to promote or endorse commercial products in the media. The DIAA says that while no compensation was given to students or school personnel, appearing in the ad violated Delaware laws classifying student-athletes as amateur status.
DIAA says they have issued an official letter of reprimand to the IRHS administration for insufficient oversight to prevent the violation. The school district has also been directed to request that Draper Media/WBOC remove the commercial without further broadcast, which Draper Media did when informed of the violation.
Finally, IRHS is required to submit an updated media relations policy that meets DIAA policy on student-athlete endorsements within 30 days.
No students who participated lost their ability to participate in high school sports, a possible consequence of the violation.
“The DIAA takes violations of its regulations seriously and reminds all member schools of their responsibility to adhere to the established rules, ensuring the protection of student-athletes' amateur status and the integrity of Delaware's interscholastic athletics,” DIAA said in a statement. “Future violations may result in more severe consequences.”
IRHS has five business days after receiving the reprimand to appeal DIAA’s findings, if the school district wishes to do so.