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Brett Shipp reports.

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For more than a year, News 8 uncovered evidence of improper grade changing on two of South Oak Cliff's state championship basketball teams.

In both cases, those state titles have been stripped.

But questions remain about who was responsible for orchestrating those grade changes.

And now for the first time, DISD officials are exploring the possibility the head basketball coach may have played a key role.

News 8 has confirmed that DISD officials are examining the role head coach James Mays played in the grade changing scandal at South Oak Cliff.

Evidence contained in a just released report alleges Mays played an active role in the improper changing of athletes' grades during the playoffs in 2005.

Did Mays knowingly violate state eligibility rules?

Some former teachers have already accused Mays of being involved in circumventing UIL rules.

Now, the independent report from the Feldman, Rogers law firm firm in Houston states that one teacher got "a request from head Varsity basketball coach Mays that she give star player Darrell Arthur make-up work to effectuate this grade change."

The date was February 23rd 2005.

Arthur and two other star athletes had their grades changed from passing to failing, all in the same day.

According to the Feldman report "Mays filled out a portion of the grade change form... for Kevin Rogers and Kendrake Johnigan."

District policy requires that then principal Donald Moten should have signed off on the change form.

But Moten was gone that day.

Instead, the form was signed by assistant principal Anthony Daniels.

According to Daniels, "Mays told him that principal Moten had authorized him to sign the form."

But Mays had a different account.

He told investigators that "he could not recall any discussion with Daniels about any grade change forms."

Attorney David Feldman says grade changing was rampant at South Oak Cliff at the time for both athletes and non athletes.

Faculty appeared to be confused about what the policy even was.

Yet Feldman says evidence suggests Mays was encouraging others to give make-up work to athletes who were already ineligible to play.

"The UIL rules that that kind of work is not appropriate and that a coach would know that," David Feldman said.

Mays has not responded to our request for an interview.

But last May, he told Michael Irving on ESPN radio that he had done nothing wrong.

"That's what I'm saying. I'm saying there is no wrong doing as far as we are concerned," he said.

When asked whether he could prove it, he answered "most definitely."

But that proof never materialized, only strong evidence that three star athletes, all failing classes, had their grades changed to passing on the same day, at someone's request.

E-mail bshipp@wfaa.com.