Ken Whitehouse writes that there have been at least nine instances of Montgomery Bell Academy student-athletes and their families receiving payments through various channels. The incidents date back to the 1990s.

Publicly the school maintained that the event that led to McGugin’s firing was an aberration. Privately, many close to the school have said this sort of thing has been going on for decades and not just in the football program. Multiple sources told The City Paper of at least nine instances dating back to the 1990s where money was given to the families of student athletes or the school on behalf of student athletes. Not all were necessarily violations of TSSAA rules.