TIM MORSE: I’m glad I’m not part of GHSA right now

There are just some situations you look around, and you thank God that you aren’t involved in them.

One of those situations is the life of an Executive Committee member of the Georgia High School Association. Late Monday morning, after hours of meetings, the committee accepted the resignation of the GHSA’s executive director, Gary Phillips.

Phillips has drawn the ire of the state legislature and some GHSA members who wanted him out. So Monday, Phillips resigned, effective at the end of the year. Since he has a year left on his contract, his contract for 2017-18 will also be honored.

A defiant Phillips refused to answer questions from the media after the meeting, reading instead from a statement.

“This, however, would benefit no one, including the student-athletes, whom we are supposed to serve, and my family, who has been devastated by the events of the past two weeks,” Phillips read.

Apparently, Phillips and his staff have offended too many people in high places, such as Sen. Bruce Thompson of Cartersville, who, along with 16 other senators, authored Senate Bill 203. Then there is House Bill 415, which has six sponsors, led by John Meadows of Calhoun.

The bills seek to overthrow the GHSA and form a new association.

I have mixed feelings on the issue. If you want to see how the government runs everything, look no further than the United States House and Senate.

Nobody has told us what plan is in place should the legislation succeed.

And remember what happened the last time the legislature got involved in athletics? In 2000, then House Speaker Tom Murphy of Bremen threatened to disband the organization after his daughter complained that her Bremen debate team could not compete against Atlanta private schools because those schools could recruit.

The GHSA forced private schools to multiply their enrollments by 1.5 for classification, an edict that was later revoked.

While the GHSA doesn’t want the legislature running its business, the organization often functions like the government with some of its “good ol’ boy” mentality.

According to The Macon Telegraph, Phillips noted a survey was commissioned to member schools regarding the association’s performance. Phillips was quoted as saying that 339 of the 456 schools responded, and nearly 80 percent “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they were satisfied with “their membership in the GHSA.”

Most fans argue that private schools still “have an unfair advantage.”

And many argue that open-enrollment schools are recruiting athletes harder than private schools.

I remember several years ago when many south Georgia schools threatened to leave the organization and join the GISA because they felt competing against private schools in Class A was unfair. Thus, the GHSA began holding public and private playoffs in Class A.

I’m not sure there is a good answer right now concerning this issue.

Regardless of how you feel, I believe we can all agree that we need to be thankful we’re not a part of the GHSA right now.