Kernels of truth: Professional cornhole is rocked by ‘BagGate’ cheating scandal after top team ‘used thinner and lighter bags to win $15,000 prize’

• The world of professional cornhole was shaken by a potential cheating scandal from the American Cornhole League Championship in August
• During the game with Mark Richards and Philip Lopez versus Devon Harbaugh and his partner, Harbaugh said that his opponents’ bags looked thin 
• An inspection revealed that the bags were not up to regulation
• However, the officials also investigated Harbaugh and his partner’s bags and found that they too were not following the rules
• The prize for the game was $15,000 
• As the sport gains popularity, more and more people are using unusual methods to try and get the upper hand, professionals say

The world of professional cornhole is reeling from a potential cheating scandal that happened several months ago at the 2022 American Cornhole League World Championship. 

During the event, held in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the No. 1 ranked team, Mark Richards and Philip Lopez, were accused by a competitor of using bags that were not up to code, which now has fans saying ‘the dirty underbelly is being exposed.’

Devon Harbaugh, the rival who filed the complaint, said that he believed at the time the team may have been using under weight bags and against regulation. 

‘I thought the bags were too thin,’ said Harbaugh, who spoke with the Wall Street Journal. 

Philip Lopez was one of the two team members who was accused by Devon Harbaugh of having bags that were too small and did not meet regulation

Mark Richards is the other half of the No. 1 team that was accused of having bags that did not meet ACL regulations during the championship in August 

While the situation may seem cavalier, the incident is no laughing matter, according to those in the cornhole community. 

The prize at stake for the game was $15,000.

During the game, officials were called in to inspect the bags and did in fact discern that the bags, made of resin and fabric, were not up to code. 

The state of the bags were so evident that Mark Pryor, a commentator for the game, even commented on the bags, himself. 

‘They’re too small,’ Pryor said. ‘That’s going to create some drama.’ 

However, the situation quickly escalated as the officials then turned to Harbaugh and his teammate’s bags for a similar inspection. 

Devon Harbaugh said he thought the bags used by his opponents ‘were too thin’ 

Turns out, Harbaugh and his partner’s bags also did not follow the rules. 

Bags used during the game must be six by six inches and weigh 16 ounces, the American Cornhole League dictates. 

Now dubbed ‘BagGate,’ the incident has sparked a serious conversation amongst the top players and watchers of the sport. 

‘I think it’s funny that anyone believed it would be all friendships and rose petals forever in cornhole,’ wrote one person in the Addicted to Cornhole Facebook group.

The game continued after an hour-long delay and officials who were inspecting the bags ultimately ruled that no violations had been intentional. 

Trey Ryder, an American Cornhole League spokesperson, told the Wall Street Journal that cheating was ‘possible’ but that they believe the bag regulation rules being broke were not on purpose. 

‘Honestly it could be anything,’ Harbaugh said when asked how his team’s bags ended up not following the rules. ‘Definitely unintentional.’

‘I don’t know how they became illegal-sized. We did not boil the bags,’ Lopez agreed. 

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In spite of the bags being unintentionally in violation of the rules, the league has still had to up their protocols and inspections. 

‘We’ve really had to crack down to make sure that all these bags are to spec,’ said Ryder. ‘Internally we’ve had to invest more into our compliance.

The issue has become more serious, with some players taking drastic measures in an attempt to get the upper hand. 

One cornhole professional spoke with the Wall Street Journal, telling them that people are getting creative when it comes to how they handle their bags. 

‘You have the average players that try everything to make the bag do different things,’ said Nate Voyer. 

The professional cornhole player told the news outlet he knows a player who tries to flatten his bag by driving over it. 

Others, he says, wash their bags with vinegar or boil them to make them slicker. 

The players take the game very seriously as serious money is at stake. 

Some players reportedly can rack upwards of $250,000 a year through various income streams with and related to the game. 

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Cornhole has become somewhat of a lucrative sport with some players raking in as much as $250,000 a year from competitions and sponsorships

Since the August incident, Ryder said that the ACL has increased their testing and inspections and plans to continue into the 2023 season. 

‘We believe we are taking a major step,’ Mr. Ryder adds.

One professional cornhole player suggested that due to the sport’s rising popularity, it may be time to crack down even further. 

‘I think we’re going to have to go to having a referee just like any other sport,’ said Jay Corley, a player from Virginia. 

The scandal in the cornhole world comes amid another major scandal in a niche-sport. 

Two men were recently accused of stuffing five walleye with lead weights and fish fillets during a lucrative fishing tournament on Lake Erie. 

Jacob Runyan, 42, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky, 35, of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, recently pleaded not guilty to cheating. 

The allegations surfaced September 30 at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament when director Jason Fischer became suspicious because Runyan and Cominsky’s fish were significantly heavier than walleye of that length typically are.

They weighed their best five fishes and the pair’s came in significantly higher than what a normal walleye comes in at 

As an angry crowd watched at Gordon Park in Cleveland, Fischer cut the walleye open and announced there were weights and fish fillets stuffed inside them.

The fish was confiscated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to be used as evidence.

Runyan and Cominsky were indicted earlier this month on felony charges of cheating, attempted grand theft, possessing criminal tools and misdemeanor charges of unlawfully owning wild animals.

The pair originally won the tournament, but they were replaced by Steve Hendricks after the weights were found. The first place prize in the tournament totaled around $28,000.

The pair (pictured) originally won the tournament, but they were replaced by Steve Hendricks after the weights were found

‘I just hope they get them for everything they can for what they’ve done,’ Hendricks said.

He added that for most anglers, ‘that’s what they love to do,’ that they aren’t in it for the money.

‘They’re out there trying to do a great job and it’s just unfortunate that a select few can come in and ruin all that for you. So I hope [Cominsky and Runyan] get the max,’ he told CNN earlier this month.

The duo allegedly stuffed the objects down the throats of the fish in order to bulk up their weight and improve their standing in the tournament.

Alongside the lead weights were also slices of other fish fillets, pieces of which had been stuffed into the body of the catch, once again to increase their weight.

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