DALLAS — Dallas Independent School District officials have filed a complaint over South Oak Cliff's state championship loss last month, but don't expect the game's outcome to change.
The University Interscholastic League on Thursday confirmed to WFAA that Dallas ISD submitted a "formal complaint" to both the UIL and the Texas Association of Sports Officials related to South Oak Cliff's loss to Port Neches-Grove on Dec. 16.
While Dallas ISD officials have not said what the complaint detailed, they had told WFAA last month they were considering filing a grievance over the officiating in the game.
However, the UIL on Thursday in a statement said Dallas ISD's complaint "is not considered a protest and does not have an impact on the outcome of the game."
The UIL statement also noted that both schools involved in a championship game have to agree on the officiating crew before the game is played and that protests based on officiating are not considered.
A pass interference penalty called late in the game led to the decisive PNG touchdown, en route to a 20-17 victory, blocking the Golden Bears path to a title three-peat. The penalty drew rampant criticism from the South Oak Cliff side.
In this case, UIL stated that prior to the game, both coaches came to a mutual agreement on the specific crew to cover their game.
In the event that coaches cannot come to an agreement, UIL will coordinate with TASO to make the assignment, selecting a crew from a chapter agreed upon by both schools that is neutral to both schools involved in the contest, UIL officials told WFAA in an email.
"Once a crew is selected or assigned, UIL sends the coaches the information for the officials which includes their names and assigned chapter. All officials are expected to adhere to TASO’s conflict of interest policy," UIL officials said in response to a follow-up email from WFAA.
