The recent suspensions of Seton LaSalle head football coach Mauro Monz and assistant Jason Pinkston brings up a rather poignant question.

What exactly is a “recruiting violation” in high school athletics?

Clearly, there is a line coaches cannot cross because that’s why these two guys got suspended by the WPIAL.

The board voted 12-0 to suspend both coaches until March of 2022. The Dioceses of Pittsburgh plans to appeal, but that process could take weeks, if not months.

We all have our feelings on the public vs. private school debate when it comes to high school athletics. Whether private schools should be playing in their own league, play up a couple of divisions, whatever, is not the issue here.

Private schools are exactly that — private. There are some academic grants available, I suppose, but for the most part, parents have to foot the bill for sending their kids to private school.

Like them or not, don’t private schools have the right to show prospective students what they have to offer? Some families value a Catholic education and/or religion in the school and want their kids to experience that.

If that kid happens to be a standout football or basketball player, doesn’t he have the right to participate in that activity?

I am unsure of what Seton LaSalle’s coaches did that drew the ire of Bethel Park, Brownsville, Canon-McMillan and McGuffey, the four schools that filed formal complaints of those coaches “crossing the line” with their athletes.

Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. Four different schools taking the time to do this seems to suggest these Seton LaSalle coaches did something they weren’t supposed to do.

Maybe I’m on an island alone here, but the public-private butting of heads is growing a little old.

Nobody is forcing parents to send their kids — athletes or otherwise — to a private school. It’s freedom of choice.

If these coaches went too far in selling the merits of their program or school to the kids in question, the WPIAL should call them in, along with representatives of the protesting schools, figure out the transgressions that were made and make sure all member schools are aware of just what went wrong and why.

If there’s a line private school coaches and staff cannot cross, define the line.

To suspend these two guys from coaching?

Seems a little harsh to me.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle