Coaches, alleges 'pay for play' scheme

A Texas father unsatisfied with his son’s playing time on lacrosse teams has reportedly sued several coaches under federal anti-corruption laws, claiming they extorted families in exchange for playing time.
In a 39-page federal racketeering lawsuit filed late last month, attorney Bill Munck claims coaches with the Dallas Lacrosse Academy LLC and the Episcopal School of Dallas employed a “pay to play” scheme for student athletes like his son Billy to take the field, MyFoxDFW.com reports.
"Through the use of illegal and fraudulent conduct, including threats, intimidation and even extortion, defendants have tried to ensure that student athletes who want to play lacrosse in North Texas have to pay for play and have to go through the defendants' enterprise,” the lawsuit alleges. “ … Billy Munck was one of the victims of this criminal enterprise as were many others. Plaintiffs file this complaint to ensure that others, including Billy’s younger brother — a high school sophomore, do not suffer a similar fate.”
The lawsuit alleges that former Episcopal School of Dallas coach Kevin Barnicle and other instructors at the for-profit Dallas lacrosse academy threatened parents with less playing time on their son’s high school teams if they didn’t pony up for pricey private camps and training sessions at the academy.
Billy Munck played nine out of 11 varsity games during his junior year, but did not letter and left the school, according to the lawsuit, which also accuses the coaches and Dallas Lacrosse Academy of breaking NCAA rules.
"Some of the better players were asked to replace weaker DLA players already on the roster, and these players were asked to board airplanes, stay at hotels and play in recruiting tournaments under another player's name,” the lawsuit reads.
Laura Hart, the mother of a lacrosse player at Episcopal School of Dallas, told MyFoxDFW.com she hopes the lawsuit will simply go away.
"Get out there, play and move on with your life," she said.
Munck and the defendants named in the lawsuit, including six coaches, declined to discuss the lawsuit, MyFoxDFW.com reports.