Section Asks Taft to Conduct Probe

Barbara Fiege, City Section commissioner, said Monday she asked Taft High officials to investigate an allegation that football Coach Troy Starr violated City rules by having an illegal contact with one of his players during the spring break.

Hart assistant Rick Herrington said he saw Starr practicing handoffs with new Taft quarterback Brandon Hance at a park in Valencia last week.

Starr denies that he was coaching Hance.

“I was watching and talking with his [Hance’s] dad,” Starr said. “There was no coaching going on whatsoever.”

Under City rules, a coach cannot tutor one of his own players off campus unless it’s part of a passing league. “If he’s a football player at Taft, it would be out-of-season contact,” Fiege said.

Fiege said the possible rules violation would not be considered major, but Taft could be placed on probation.