Sports broadcaster ESPN has been criticised for not carrying out due diligence on a hapless high school whose American football team it showcased live on air against one of the best setups in the country.
Bishop Sycamore were torn apart 58-0 on Sunday by Florida's IMG Academy, which boasts nine top-300 players in its senior class and 10 more juniors, and is ranked as one of the top high school sides in the US.
Watching any side get trounced by such a huge scoreline would make for uncomfortable viewing at the best of times, but far more sinister details have since emerged about IMG's opponents.
The game, part of the Geico Kickoff Classic, was shown on ESPN, which has said all the games in this tournament are booked by a firm called Paragon Marketing.
While Bishop Sycamore claims to be "a new football program getting established in Columbus, Ohio", outlet Awful Announcing has uncovered some truths about the side.
It posted a fundraiser on social media asking for $20,000 to fund travel expenses, meals and equipment costs to supports its "national schedule", with multiple games organised against some of the best programs in the US.
The side may not had an away jersey, with both sides playing in black during one recent outing involving Bishop Sycamore, while its roster is estimated to be very small, with only between 30-35 players on its books.
Most worryingly, Bishop Sycamore also played a full game on Friday, with just one day's rest for the players between that outing and their clash with IMG.
That presents a huge health and safety concern, as did their game against IMG in which it became clear very quickly the two sides were badly mismatched.
ESPN broadcaster Anish Shroff admitted live on air: "Bishop Sycamore told us they had a number of Division I prospects on their roster. To be frank, a lot of that we could not verify."
He said on Twitter after: "Sorry. They had no business being in that game today. None. I feel bad for the kids. Player health and safety was at risk today. It was uncomfortable for anyone who watched."
ESPN has said it became suspicious in the weeks leading up to the game when it could not learn any information about Bishop Sycamore's players, team statistics or information about the school, and quickly contacted Paragon.
The broadcaster said in a statement: "We regret that this happened and have discussed it with Paragon, which secured the matchup and handles the majority of our high school event scheduling. They have ensured us that they will take steps to prevent this kind of situation from happening moving forward."
Paragon president Rashid Ghazi told Awful Announcing he would have cancelled the game if they had known the same youngsters had played in two games as many days apart.
The company also said it has no plans to work with Bishop Sycamore again in the future.
The school itself is not recognised by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
