Michael Strahan, working very quickly, secured the TV and film rights to tell the Bishop Sycamore story. To think, few even knew the alleged high school football team existed until late August.
Specifically, Michael Strahan and his SMAC Entertainment landed the story rights of former coach Roy Johnson. SMAC Entertainment also is owned by Constance Schwartz-Morini. She announced the news, Wednesday.
As Schwartz-Morini told the Hollywood Reporter, the Bishop Sycamore story played out in “real time.” She said the story was pitched to the company.
“We knew we could tell it with the gravitas, authenticity and journalistic integrity that it deserves,” she said.
The Bishop Sycamore story blew up on social media as sports fans watched the team play on ESPN, Aug. 29. The sports network broadcast a game between IMG Academy, a national high school powerhouse based in Florida, against Bishop Sycamore. IMG pummeled the team, 58-0. And Bishop Sycamore certainly didn’t look to be a program worthy of such a national platform.
A deeper dive into the high school showed that it was based in Columbus, Ohio, yet had no permanent address or class schedule. It turned out to be an online charter school.
Michael Strahan Is Perfect To Tell Story of Bishop Sycamore
Someone like Michael Strahan knows the importance of a good high school program. His dad was in the military and Strahan spent a good portion of his younger years attending school in Germany. But his dad sent him back to Houston and the state of Texas, where the Friday Night Lights burn brightest, so he could play for Westbury High School.
So why not have Michael Strahan tell the mysterious story of Bishop Sycamore. The coach was fired after journalists started digging into the team’s odd background. School director Andre Preston said that he terminated Johnson because he failed to track player injuries. Plus, Johnson had been charged with fraud in another case. It also was revealed that Bishop Sycamore used older players who weren’t really top college prospects, as promised.
Since the game on ESPN, Bishop Sycamore saw every opponent on its schedule cancel their contests against them. And Johnson lost his job. Kevin Hart already announced he’s working on a documentary about the game itself.
And this important detail emerged. New coach Tyren Jackson told reporters in Ohio that Bishop Sycamore isn’t a high school team. Rather, it’s a “post-graduate program.”
Meanwhile, football season is starting in a big way for Michael Strahan. The host of Good Morning America also is an analyst for NFL on Fox. The NFL season kicks off on NBC Thursday night with Tampa Bay playing host to Dallas. Sunday is the biggest day of action.
Plus, Michael Strahan helped a friend on the college level. Deion Sanders, who like Strahan is in the NFL Hall of Fame, called his friend and asked for a favor. Sanders is in his second year of coaching Jackson State in Jackson, Miss. Sanders said he wanted his team to look sharp in their pre- and post-game attire.
Since Michael Strahan has his own clothing line at Men’s Warehouse, he sent a team of tailors to Jackson. So every player and coach received a custom suit. Of course, a styling Jackson State won their opening game.
