Coach admits he faked HS track and field meet results

Show Caption Hide Caption Update on NJ fake track meet controversy

A day after the accusations that a recent high school track and field meet in Newark never happened, the coach and co-founder of the host track club admitted that he falsified the entire meet to boost athletes' personal records, according to an email.

In an email to NJ MileSplit, a well-known track and field website and defacto timekeepers for the state's track and field events, a person who identified himself as Corey Johnson, coach of the Newark Flames Track Club, apologized for falsifying a meet called the Brick City Invitational on May 20.

"Good morning my name is Coach Johnson, I am the track coach and CEO of Newark Flames Track Club," Johnson said in an email to Robert Kellert, editor for NJ MileSplit. "I am writing to say I apologize for the incident of the falsified meet that was supposedly held on May 20, 2018 at Newark School Stadium."

NJ MileSplit has launched an investigation into the meet and results, Kellert said.

The day after NorthJersey.com reported that a complaint was lodged by several people who alleged Immaculate Conception of Montclair had not been at the meet, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is investigating the meet and the veracity of the athletes' personal records.

“The attempt to submit fictitious information is both unacceptable and unsportsmanlike,” Larry White, executive director of the NJSIAA, said in an email, noting the NJSIAA investigation will be independent of the NJ MileSplit investigation. “We’re thankful the various checks in the system helped maintain the integrity of the database.”

"The investigation is ongoing," White said.

Some of the performances originally posted included significant personal bests for many of the athletes. The marks would have qualified the athletes for either the championship division or the Emerging Elite division of the New Balance Nationals next month, the national high school outdoor track and field championship meet.

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In many cases, the results posted were far better than what the athletes had done before, including in the Essex County meet two days prior.

The Newark Flames Track Club was listed as the Brick City Invitational host on both Athletic.Net and NJ MileSplit. The Newark Flames is listed on the USA Track and Field website as a non-renewed and non-approved track club.

At least six teams were listed as participating in the meet, including Bard Early College, Benedictine Academy, East Orange Campus, Immaculate Conception of Montclair, Malcolm X Shabazz, Notre Dame, People's Prep, West Side and Newark Flames.

Yet, athletic officials for some of those teams said that not only did they not participate, many had not even heard of the Brick City Invitational.

"Notre Dame never heard of this meet," Joe McLaughlin, head coach of Notre Dame track and field, said. "And we never entered this meet. Besides, we hosted our own meet that day."

Athletic directors for Notre Dame, People's Prep and West Side High School all denied that they fielded teams for the Brick City Invitational. Meet results also listed Centralville TC and Greater Oaks TC as participants, though neither appear anywhere else on NJ Mile Split.

Eddie Greene, who co-founded the Newark Flames, denied any involvement in the meet. Greene, who is also the head track and field coach at West Side High School, said none of his school's athletes participated.

However, 20 individual athletes and four relay teams from West Side were listed as participants at the meet, many of them posting personal records, according to Athletic.net. Those results have since been removed by the site.

Greene said he was in Atlanta at his son's college graduation at the time of the meet.

"I'm concerned that number one my team is put in this position," Greene told NorthJersey.com on Tuesday. "I spoke to the guy. He apologized to me. He said there was no ill will or to get me or any other team in trouble."

Phone calls to a number for Johnson provided in the email led to a Planet Fitness customer line.

NJ MileSplit is also now questioning last year's iteration of the Brick City Invitational, allegedly held at Weequahic High School.

"I really didn't know it would cause them problems as I never coached high school track and field," Johnson said in the email. "Once again I truly apologize for the chaos that I have caused."

Kaitlyn Kanzler contributed to this report.

Email: torrejon@northjersey.com