Up to 19 Olentangy Liberty varsity baseball players suspended following Georgia trip

Most of the Olentangy Liberty High School varsity baseball team was suspended for underage drinking violations following a weeklong spring break trip to a Georgia sports camp the week before Easter, ruining what was to have been a promising season and leaving parents to question who was supervising them.

According to students and five sets of parents, as many as 19 of 24 players were suspended from either future games and/or school following the trip to Baseball Village, part of the LakePoint Sports complex in Emerson, Georgia.

One parent called the week "a drunken drug fest" with no accountability by coaches. The head coach was not disciplined for alcohol violations but received a written warning for a separate issue since the trip, The Dispatch learned.

None of the parents wanted to be named, fearing retaliation against their children from coaches or other players.

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Olentangy school official initially denied Dispatch's requests for records, citing federal privacy laws

The Dispatch recently requested disciplinary records of Liberty students who violated the district's alcohol abuse policies during the week in Georgia, along with complaints from parents or students about the team's coach, Ty Brenning, who also teaches history and social studies at Liberty High School.

Olentangy Local School District Treasurer Ryan Jenkins, who is responsible for public records requests, initially refused to release even redacted student records for that week, citing federal student privacy laws. He later released Liberty's discipline log for the entire month of March, which indicated 14 student code violations for "Narcotics, Alcoholic Beverages and Drugs" resulting in "out-of-school" suspension.

The 14 incidents would be suspensions from school and not from games, possibly explaining the discrepancy.

While names, dates and other data are redacted, the log lists six seniors, five juniors and three sophomores from Liberty High School.

The district also released a copy of an April 1 email from Darin Meeker, Liberty's athletic director, to unnamed parents of the "Varsity Baseball Team" to inform them that the high school's administrative team had held one-on-one meetings with varsity players to discuss "concerns relating to possible violations of the Athletic Code of Conduct during last week's Spring Break trip." Also attached was at least one response from what is presumed to be a parent asking to speak with Meeker.

Christian Ross, the district's communications director, previously confirmed only that students were disciplined, but he refused to say how many, for what or to provide other specifics.

"There was disciplinary action taken for violations of the student code," he said. "But as far as specifics, I'm not able to provide them to you."

District officials denied The Dispatch's requests to interview Brenning, Meeker and Principal Michael Starner.

The decimated Liberty Patriots varsity team lost six consecutive games April 2-18, being outscored 71-29. It has rebounded since April 16, winning five of six games.

Last year, the team's record was 27-4. The team won the state Division I championship in 2018.

Olentangy Liberty parents describe 'a drunken drug fest' in Georgia the week before Easter, leading to hospitalization

One of the parents told The Dispatch that their son was not involved in the violations but became concerned that the school, specifically Brenning and his assistant coaches, blamed only the students and took no responsibility for chaperoning them or checking in with them during the trip to Georgia.

The team stayed at a Tru By Hilton about a 15-minute drive from the sports complex. Buses shuttled them back and forth. Parents were encouraged to stay at other hotels.

In an email to The Dispatch, a parent described "a drunken drug fest where 19 kids served suspension (after their return) and the coaches faced no dismissal or any visible punishment for that matter."

Said another parent: "It does very much feel like kids are being blamed and we (administrators) don't want this to get out. … Let's just be quiet and let it go away."

Two parents said they were forced to hire attorneys to appeal their child's punishment, including threats of expulsion, during hearings with school administrators.

The most excessive partying occurred during what parents were told was to be a team-building event on Thursday, March 28. Miniature golf or bowling were discussed.

"We thought that they were going putt-putting with the coaches," the parent said. But Brenning instead flew back to central Ohio, reportedly to attend his daughter's volleyball game.

The most serious alcohol use left many kids sick, the parent said. One of the students was taken to a local hospital, reportedly after taking too many THC gummies, parents have learned.

Olentangy Liberty baseball coach Ty Brenning garners criticism from parents, documented warning from administrators

Brenning held a meeting with parents a few days after their return, placing blame on the students, according to those who attended.

"I don't remember the words 'I'm sorry' come out of his mouth," the parent of a player said. "Usually, these things happen top down. So, I was surprised that no one was held responsible."

Administrators regard the care of students on such trips to be their highest priority. Some have gone so far as to apply tape to the outside of students' doors to deter misconduct and mingling with others.

Brenning, who became head varsity coach in 2011 , said in pre-season comments on the team's Facebook page: "Leadership keeps improving every single day and there are a lot of hungry athletes who are waiting to get on the field."

Parents say leaderships should have concerned themselves with more than baseball drills and box scores.

"I think there should be consequences, and I’m doing my part to prevent them from just sweeping it under the rug," the parent said in an email to The Dispatch.

Brenning did receive a "documented warning" but not for violations during the Georgia trip.

According to his personnel file, he "admitted to letting his emotions get the better of him when a suspended baseball player laughed, gyrated body parts, and ineffectively participated in a team meeting."

In an April 24 letter to Brenning from Meeker and Starner, the warning came "in the wake of the recent baseball trip, where a number of players were suspended from school and baseball for violations of the student handbook and athletic code of conduct." Brenning also agreed to leadership counseling with a consultant.

This is not the district's only recent coaching controversy. In March, Liberty High School's hockey coach and two assistants resigned after complaints that they used abusive language and tactics.

dnarciso@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Up to 19 Olentangy Liberty varsity baseball players suspended following Georgia trip