Former assistant coach of the Bellevue Football program, Pat Jones, is not done telling his story.
After releasing Book One of the planned four-part series in 2020, Jones has continued to dedicate himself to clearing his former program’s name — and celebrating the incredible talent on the Bellevue Football program. Book Three in the Did the Truth Even Matter series is out now, taking readers inside the media frenzy Coach Jones and Coach Goncharoff had to endure after being banished from coaching in the KingCo conference while also hinting at a road to redemption and vindication to be revealed in Book Four.
Behind the controversy at Bellevue Football
Book One: The Real Bellevue Football Story tracks the history of the Bellevue Football program from its inception in the 1920s. Seen through the eyes of author Pat Jones, readers get an insider’s look as Assistant Head Coach Jones and Head Coach Butch Goncharoff develop the program into a national powerhouse.
In Book Two: Fake News, Felons and Football, takes a detailed look at the 2015 season, the investigation into Bellevue Football’s recruiting practices, and meticulously addresses the first 55 pages of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) investigative report.
”Book Two of the series dismantles the false list of ‘42 transfers to Bellevue High School from 2008 to 2015’ and exposes that the lead prosecutor had an undisclosed material conflict of interest from his days as a federal prosecutor with the convicted felon who the prosecutor had indicted. This felon was their key witness during the investigation as well as a parent at the high school in question,” writes Jones on DidTheTruthEvenMatter.com.
Book Three: The Hammer Falls tackles the final 13 pages of the WIAA report and discusses documents written by the former President of the Bellevue School Board as well as a critical WIAA document relating to the summer within the WIAA’s own board minutes, which Coach Jones says should have been used to exonerate both him and Coach Goncharoff as well as the program. The book concludes with the banishment of the two coaches, in a 2016 ruling that was believed to be final at the time.
In Book Four, coming next year, readers will discover that the decision wasn’t final after all — further investigations and behind the scenes shenanigans continued through 2017.
“All of this led to students being wrongfully punished as Coach Jones and Coach Goncharoff continued their efforts to protect the program and the students,” writes Jones.
In addition to writing this series, Pat Jones is currently a football coach at Kennedy Catholic High School, a youth coach in the Puget Sound region, and continues to serve as President of the Bellevue Coaches Association union. The first three books in the Did the Truth Even Matter series are available now on Amazon as both print and ebooks. You can also find a link to the book and its many references and source materials as well as photos, videos and the like on Coach Jones’ website, didthetruthevenmatter.com.
