Kennedy Forfeits 6 Victories : Soccer: Unnamed player competed in an outside league in violation of City Section rules.

The Kennedy High boys’ soccer team has forfeited its six Northwest Valley Conference victories because one of its players has been playing in an outside league, school officials said Tuesday.

West Valley League champion Chatsworth also has admitted that one of its players competed in an outside league, but will not forfeit any victories because the player was removed from the team before he had a chance to play illegally.

City Section rules state that from Nov. 15 until the end of the season, a soccer player may not compete in an organized league where score is kept. Kennedy Coach Fred Singer confirmed Tuesday night that one of his players broke the rule.

“We’ve had a player playing on the outside since day one,” said Singer, who would not give the player’s name. “We’ll be 0-13 (in conference play).”

City Section Commissioner Barbara Fiege said she was notified of the offense Tuesday by an assistant principal at Kennedy.

“I was told verbally that they have forfeited six games,” said Fiege, who expects to receive written notice today.

Fiege said that while there is no rule that prohibits Kennedy from making the playoffs, she does not expect the Golden Cougars (3-13-2 overall) to be selected.

“I think it’s very unfortunate for the Kennedy team that one player can break a rule and bring down a whole team and its coach,” she said.

Singer said he was notified by another coach in the conference that one of his players was ineligible. Fiege said she has been fielding allegations that other area teams are using illegal players.

“I’ve been told it’s been going on at other schools but until they bring forth names, that’s not something we would act upon,” she said.

The City has decided not to take action against Chatsworth, which reported its violation Feb. 6 after Coach John McLean discovered that starting midfielder Jorge Rodriguez had played in an outside league match in Sylmar.

Rodriguez said Tuesday night that he went to watch the team Tapatio play several weekends ago, and played half a match when that team was short of players. He said Chatsworth coaches told him before the season not to play in outside leagues, but he thought he would be exempt because he was not on Tapatio’s official roster.

At a team meeting Feb. 6, Rodriguez was confronted by McLean, who removed him from the team and gave him a failing grade for the soccer physical education class. “I feel so worried and sad about what happened,” said Rodriguez, a sophomore. “I think I deserve it. I would have been mad if someone else had done the same thing.”

McLean said he thinks Rodriguez is far from the only area high school player competing in an outside league.

“The ball doesn’t stop with us,” McLean said. “We’d like to see the other schools that started this to check themselves. They might be living in glass houses.”

Singer agrees: “We turned ourselves in. I hope the other teams will be as honest as we are.”