The gun should have cost several hundred dollars, but was available at a discount because it had been stolen.

Wanting a shotgun, but uncertain of the proper morals, I asked my father what I should do.

He simply said, "If you deal with a thief, you are a thief."

That wisdom has long out-lived any usefulness the shotgun would have had.

The story comes to mind in the wake of the questions surrounding ineligible players in the Charlotte- Mecklenburg school system and throughout the state.

Charlotte Independence has dropped two starters from its football roster because of eligibility questions, but the Patriots will play for the state title on Saturday.

The current N.C. High School Athletic Association rule carries no penalty for teams using ineligible players if documents have been falsified.

In other words, if a player and the family lie about where they live, the school is not required to forfeit games when the lie is discovered.

The rule was passed because schools cannot physically inspect every home of every athlete and ascertain the child lives there.

Parents and others find ingenious ways to falsify documents, but usually just give a fake address.

The current rule is the antithesis of what high school athletics is supposed to represent.

America has athletics programs in its schools for kids to have fun and to teach values.

Players are supposed to learn teamwork, respect and sportsmanship. They are supposed to work as a team and strive toward a goal. They sacrifice for the group. They learn to keep athletics in the proper perspective.

Athletes also are supposed to learn honesty and how to play by the rules.

The NCHSAA rule encourages players and their parents to lie and for schools to look the other way.

Athletic directors rightly assert there is no way they can check every player's address.

Nevertheless, the rule needs to be changed to make every team forfeit every game in which it uses an ineligible player.

At the start of every season in every sport, the head coach should say something like, "If you are not living with your parents, I need to know right now. If you are not assigned to our school, I need to know right now.

"I do not want you on this team, regardless of your ability or your desire, if you are not supposed to be at this school."

The coach would explain that if any of the players are ineligible, that the team would forfeit every game and that the season should not be jeopardized by a selfish liar.

Recently my almost 18-year-old daughter won a contest and thought she would receive $500.

Although the contest was promoted to high school students, the rules stipulated you must be 18 years old to win.

She refused to lie about her age and instead of $500, she received a T-shirt, two pencils, two pens and a plastic mug.

But I am proud of her. She established that she wouldn't lie even if you paid her.

We need to teach the same lesson to our high school athletes.

Declaring forfeits for the use of any ineligible player would hurt teams for the lies of the selfish.

But teaching honesty is more important than winning titles.