Westwood Athletics Director and Head Football Coach Richard Bishop faced harsh criticism from State UIL officials for a recent infraction.
Coach Bishop appeared before the UIL State Executive Committee in Austin on Monday, August 18, 2025, for a hearing after a referral from the District 9-3A Executive Committee.
The violation involved an unenrolled seventh-grade student who participated in workouts for three weeks during the summer.
After the hearing, the committee voted to extend Bishop’s probation by two more years, covering the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. He is already on probation for this year and next after being disciplined for videotaping portions of the game between Fairfield and Teague High Schools while scouting last season.
The committee also required Bishop to submit updated procedures for the Westwood Athletic Department.
UIL State Executive Committee Chair Mike Motheral, noting that Bishop is already on probation, stated that the incident with the junior high student was a violation and that processes should have been in place to prevent it.
Bishop told the committee that staff meetings were held the afternoon they learned the student was not enrolled in the district. He admitted the department’s verbal process for verifying enrollment “was not adequate.”
According to Bishop, staff asked the student multiple times if he was enrolled, and he answered yes because he believed his mother had completed the enrollment process. Bishop added that an action plan would be submitted to ensure nothing is “misconstrued and taken out of context” in the future.
Motheral responded: “This was not misconstrued or taken out of context. This is a violation.” He then asked Bishop if he had a violation last year, to which Bishop replied yes.
Bishop admitted he was not fully aware of the rules regarding workouts and enrollment.
Westwood ISD Superintendent Wade Stanford told the committee the incident does not reflect the district’s standards.
“As a district, we have a lot of improvement to do,” Stanford said, adding that new policies are being drafted to prevent similar issues.
Chris Skinner, chair of the District 9-3A Executive Committee, said Westwood’s athletic staff should have known the student was not enrolled. He added that one of the coaches seemed familiar with the student and was likely aware.
During the discussions on punishment, Motheral emphasized the seriousness of probation and the need for Bishop to do things by the book. He suggested extending probation and even raised the possibility of suspending Bishop from games this season, though the committee ultimately decided against it. Last year, Bishop was suspended for three district games and two weeks of playoffs.
Committee member James Colbert Jr., superintendent of the Harris County Department of Education, said no wins were gained from the infraction.
Motheral concluded the hearing by telling Bishop, “We don’t want to see you here again, and you don’t want to be here.” Stanford responded that Westwood ISD “will not be here again.”
