The bulk of the recent federal investigation into fraudulent college admissions procedures and practices has largely centered on athletes and administrators and coaches connected to Olympic sports, although the football world is not totally unscathed by the scandal. The scandal is also hitting close to home for one of the top high school recruiting farms, IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
The director of college admissions at IMG Academy, Mark Riddell, has been indefinitely suspended by the school in response to the scandal’s investigation, according to a Bradenton Herald report on Wednesday.
“Today we were made aware of the charges against Mark Riddell. Riddell has been suspended indefinitely as we investigate this matter,” said a statement from IMG Academy communications department.
Riddell has been charged with accepting payments to take SAT and ACT tests for as many as 14 students. Among the students, Riddell is accused of taking tests for is the daughter of actress Felicity Huffman. It has been suggested through multiple reports that Riddell has been working with investigators and will plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering.
Whether this has any impact on football recruiting and athletes at IMG academy remains to be seen, although it likely will not have a tremendous impact in the grand scheme of things. If anything, it may lead to football programs just double checking a few things if recruiting a player from IMG Academy in light of the admissions scandal investigation’s impact.
