We are less than a week from the HBO premiere of BS High which chronicles the Bishop Sycamore scandal that occurred nearly two years ago. The program’s founder, frontman, and Head Coach, Roy Johnson, takes center stage in the film. Author and former OHSAA administrator Ben Ferree has investigated and tracked Bishop Sycamore and Johnson for years before the infamous IMG game on ESPN took the story viral. Ferree has co-authored a book about the scandal, Friday Night Lies, which comes out September 1, but ahead of that shares the latest development for Johnson in an exclusive for Awful Announcing.
Roy Johnson, the former head coach and architect of the Bishop Sycamore scandal that took social media by storm in 2021, has filed for bankruptcy. The case was filed on July 25th. According to paperwork that Johnson filed himself in federal Ohio Bankruptcy court, without the assistance of an attorney, he has less than $50,000 in assets and between $100,000-500,000 in liabilities.
According to the paperwork, which had to be resubmitted due to errors Johnson made, Johnson estimates he has 17 creditors to whom he owes money (shown below). That list includes a bank that gave him a loan for the COF Academy/Bishop Sycamore scheme, various collection agencies, and a smattering of other businesses. However, Johnson has not accounted for all of his debts. Missing from the list is a lawsuit Johnson lost in Franklin County for not paying game officials for a COF Academy football game, as well as the debts he owes Delaware County courts for two criminal convictions there. It is safe to assume there are other debts out there that Johnson has simply forgotten about.
The largest debts that Johnson estimates he has are $127,000 to First Merchants Bank, which is currently attempting to collect on that debt against both Johnson and former NFL/OSU star Jay Richardson, and $155,555 to National Collegiate Student Loan Trust.
In terms of income, Johnson lists that he is currently employed by Spectrum, making just under $40,000 a year before taxes. Johnson claims that he made $33,576 in 2022, and has made $28,537 so far in 2023. Whatever money Johnson was paid by SMAC for the rights to his life story is apparently gone, as he states that he has no money in any bank accounts and just $9 in Cash App.
The filing states Johnson had an Acura repossessed within the last year, and that he currently drives a 2016 Dodge Ram with 250,000 miles on it. Johnson was driving a black truck registered to him in December 2022 when he was arrested for shoplifting from a Grove City, Ohio Best Buy. The charge was dropped in exchange for Johnson paying court costs.
First Merchants Bank is asking a judge in Franklin County to hold Johnson in contempt of court for not complying with their requests for information so they can garnish his wages or take other steps to recoup the money they are owed. The bankruptcy filing by Johnson may delay that, and any other attempts to collect on debts.
Johnson has a history of lying both in and out of court, and his filings already list inaccurate information. Still, lying on a bankruptcy filing is a felony, so presumably Johnson would have no incentive to lie. Johnson is the centerpiece of the HBO documentary BS High, which premieres this Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.
Ben Ferree is a former Assistant Director of Officiating and Sport Management at the OHSAA and whistleblower of the Bishop Sycamore Scandal.
