LISTEN: Explosive Audio Emerges in Tulsa National Little League Softball Scandal
The Little League softball scandal surrounding Tulsa National and the Southwest Region continues to draw sharp criticism from those directly affected, and now, more evidence has emerged.
Three leagues across two states have come forward with evidence supporting their claims that the Southwest Region and Little League International have ignored eligibility violations, whistleblowers, and their own regulations.
Softball On SI previously reported about some of the eligibility concerns that were raised by Deer Creek Little League. Since then, Pottawattamie County Little League has emerged with an audio recording between the Southwest Region Director, Blaine Whitmire, and league president Lauren Richter.
In the audio, obtained by Softball On SI, Whitmire admitted to yearly scandals that go unchecked, relevant protest evidence that he didn’t deem factual didn’t get forwarded to the tournament committee, and requested evidence of possibly forged documents.
“Whether it’s this scandal or another scandal, this happens every year,” Whitmire says. “There’s no way you can clean up every scandal. There’s no way. Every major organization is going to have accusations of cheating. Do you know why? Because parents aren’t satisfied that their kids just lost in a tournament. They want to go and try to get that team eliminated. Usually, these scandals involve the teams that are very good and the teams that are beating everybody else.”
As previously reported, one of the players who represented the Southwest Region at the Little League Softball World Series attempted to register for Deer Creek and was told she lived outside the boundary. Softball On SI is choosing not to name the player because she is a minor.
Evidence provided to Whitmire included social media posts proving that she goes to school in Mustang, which is roughly two-and-a-half hours away from Tulsa.
According to Little League Regulation II(a)(3), a player must reside or attend a school that physically lies within the boundary.
Two separate Facebook posts from Mustang Public Schools and Horizon Intermediate School specifically mention the student-athlete. Rather than forwarding the evidence to the Little League Tournament Committee, Whitmire admitted to withholding it and deeming it hearsay.
“I’m just the facilitator of the information that comes in,” Whitmire says about the tournament committee. “I’m not gonna try and keep information from the tournament committee members. I’m gonna provide everything that’s provided to me.
“Now, it has to be factual evidence. I’m not going to provide them with hearsay. I’m gonna provide them with an internet post that says, ‘Congratulations to (minor’s name redacted), one of our own.’ That’s not good enough. That’s not evidence.”
Whitmire proceeded to claim that all eligibility documents were verified by the tournament committee, District Administrator Mindy Abbott, and himself. Softball On SI has obtained what appears to be a fraudulent tournament affidavit from an email address associated with Oklahoma District 1, with only Abbott’s signature and no eligibility information to verify, nor has it been signed by the league president, player agent, or manager.
In addition to the details regarding the player previously mentioned, all nine additional players on the team have been accused of eligibility violations. To make matters worse, two players were allegedly cut from the team who could’ve filled out a 12-player roster. Yet, Tulsa National Little League received an exception to play with only 10 players.
Softball On SI received text messages from parents of the players who were cut, confirming that Tulsa National Little League fraudulently filed an exemption request to carry only 10 players.
Here is a look at each of the alleged eligibility violations.
Eligibility Violations
- Resides and attends school outside of league boundaries - Regulation II(a)(3)
- Nearly Intact Non-Little League Program - Regulation V(d)
- No Regular Season Play
- Falsified Sibling Participation Waiver - Regulation II(a)(2)
- Player 1 Eligibility Violations: 1,2,3,4
- Player 2 Eligibility Violations: 1,2,3
- Player 3 Eligibility Violations: 2,3
- Player 4 Eligibility Violations: 2,3
- Player 5 Eligibility Violations: 1,2,3
- Player 6 Eligibility Violations: 2,3
- Player 7 Eligibility Violations: 1,2,3
- Player 8 Eligibility Violations: 1,2,3
- Player 9 Eligibility Violations: 3 (Includes written statement from parent)
- Player 10 Eligibility Violations: 3
- Player 11: Cut by coaches, in violation of the exception granted to allow only 10 players
- Player 12: Cut by coaches, in violation of the exception granted to allow only 10 players
Little League Violates Its Own Standards
During Whitmire’s call with Richter, he openly admitted that Tulsa National was not investigated like other programs had been previously.
“If you’re gonna go on social media posts for evidence, that’s not enough,” Whitmire said. “Every circumstance is different.”
After the 2014 scandal that involved Jackie Robinson West baseball, Little League used news reports and public congratulations to players who lived outside of the JRW boundary to overturn its initial eligibility findings.
Similarly, public congratulations from school districts outside of the Tulsa National boundary can be used to validate the ineligibility of at least one player.
Additionally, Jackie Robinson West's boundaries were found to overlap with other leagues’ boundaries. According to Little League’s League Finder, Oklahoma District 1 contains proof of overlapping boundaries that were supposed to be resolved after the Jackie Robinson West scandal.
What Does Little League Have to Gain?
Little League cannot afford to endure another integrity scandal as it did with Jackie Robinson West, Danny Almonte, Chinese Taipei, and the Philippines.
All four scandals had a lasting effect and changed the way Little League operates in attempts to prevent future exploitations of loopholes in regulations.
With the number of ineligibility accusations against Tulsa National Little League, evidence supporting the claims, the implementation of the League Finder, and the universal registration portal into the Little League Datacenter powered by SportsConnect, how can this still happen?
Softball On SI reached out to Whitmire and Senior Director of Regional Operations Corey Wright for comment. Neither responded.
-1d7db99dccc9abef7b9378f016b22b68.webp "Maren Angus-Coombs")
Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.