CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools investigation into the Independence High School football program won't result in any staff changes, CMS announced Wednesday.

The highly successful program was the center of controversy last season when several athletes were declared ineligible to play because of residency issues.

Rumors persisted about recruiting for the program, and CMS launched a full inquiry.

About 60 people were interviewed for the investigation, which cost $96,000.

"Tommy Knotts will continue as the football coach at Independence and there will be no staff changes in the athletic department," Dr. Peter C. Gorman, superintendent of CMS, said at his weekly media briefing.

Gorman and attorney Landis Wade conducted the investigation and found "no concrete evidence of recruiting at Independence," according to a news release.

"By concrete, I mean evidence sufficient to support a disciplinary suspension or dismissal," Wade said.

Gorman did say that the district plans to strengthen N.C. High School Athletic Association rules about recruiting by implementing extra training for coaches and staff. CMS will also implement extra "checks and balances," such as outlining how staff should handle parents visiting CMS campuses looking for the right school.

"We encourage those visits because we want our families involved in all aspects of their children’s education," Gorman said. "But we also want to be sure that these visits don’t present an unintended opportunity to recruit."