Bell City man: MSHSAA letter not a complaint

A Bell City man said he pleaded with Naylor School District superintendent Stephen Cookson to avoid involving him in a complaint to the Missouri State High School Activities Association that alleges Bell City allowed ineligible students to play on the boys basketball team.

The Naylor School District filed the complaint Feb. 6. Many of the allegations made by Naylor officials of MSHSAA rules violations are based on a May 2006 letter written by Bell City resident Joe Bowling. Cookson submitted a copy of that letter with Naylor's complaint.

"I was pleading with him not to do it," Bowling said.

But Bowling said he never alleged any rules violations. "I didn't view it as a complaint," he said.

Bowling said he wrote the letter to MSHSAA in an effort to set the record straight regarding his befriending a boys basketball player. Bowling allowed the student from Charleston to live with him and enrolled the student at Bell City High School.

In the lengthy letter, he also mentioned an earlier investigation by MSHSAA concerning basketball coach David Heeb.

The letter followed actions taken by MSHSAA against Heeb and Scott County Central in April 2006 as a result of a complaint made by Bell City school officials. Bell City officials alleged Heeb attempted to recruit Bell City basketball players to transfer to Scott County Central High School. Heeb coached the Bell City team before taking a job as basketball coach of the Scott County Central team in summer 2005. MSHSAA suspended Heeb from coaching or attending basketball games for the second semester of the 2006-2007 basketball season. He also was barred from organizing, conducting, supervising or attending any open gyms.

Last fall, Heeb filed a lawsuit over MSHSAA's actions. That case is pending in Stoddard County Circuit Court.

Bowling said four MSHSAA representatives interviewed him in Dexter, Mo., in 2005 in connection with the investigation of Heeb. Bowling, who was a radio sports broadcaster of Bell City sports teams at the time, said he later testified briefly via telephone at a hearing held by MSHSAA officials in Columbia, Mo. But Bowling said he wasn't a party to the complaint made against Heeb and the Scott County Central School District.

In May 2006, Bowling sent a letter clarifying his position to MSHSAA but said he did not hear back from the association. Cookson said the letter was widely circulated among various school officials in Southeast Missouri and that he spoke several times to Bowling on the telephone before filing the complaint against Bell City.

Cookson said Bowling assured him of the accuracy of the statements made in the letter, while Bowling said the superintendent wanted him to "lock arms" against MSHSAA and the Bell City School District. Cookson has denied that.

Bowling said he didn't know all the circumstances surrounding Naylor's dispute with MSHSAA, did not see a copy of the complaint nor discuss with Cookson the specific allegations the school district would raise.

The allegations made by Naylor include accusations that current Bell City basketball coach Brian Brandtner was offered $10,000 to help coach an Amateur Athletic Union team in Memphis, Tenn., as part of an effort to recruit a Bell City basketball player to play on that summer league team.

Bowling said he never mentioned any specific amount of money in his letter to MSHSAA, only that the AAU team offered a "hefty salary."

Brandtner's mother, Jackie Brandtner of Cape Girardeau, questioned the credibility of Bowling in a letter to the Southeast Missourian last week. She said her son never received any money from the AAU team.

Naylor's attorney, Paul Kidwell -- who is also Heeb's lawyer -- said it's not the responsibility of Naylor school officials to determine Bowling's credibility.

The school district, Kidwell said, had a copy of Bowling's letter, which indicated potential MSHSAA rule violations.

"We felt we had a duty to report this and let MSHSAA figure out whether Bowling is credible or not," Kidwell said.

Bowling himself said he has had financial troubles in recent years. Those financial troubles have led to litigation and court judgments against him.

At one time he owned and operated a business that sold high school sports trading cards of student athletes at Southeast Missouri high schools. But the business failed. His creditors sued for money they were owed.

"I am a great broadcaster, but I am a terrible businessman," he said.

Bowling said he now works for a hardware store and is trying to get back on his feet financially while also broadcasting Charleston High School basketball games.

Bowling said his financial woes weren't the result of any MSHSAA investigation or from Bell City's complaint against Scott County Central.

Naylor school officials filed the complaint against the Bell City School District after MSHSAA last month punished the Naylor School District for alleged residency violations involving the girls basketball and softball teams. Cookson and Kidwell have said repeatedly that MSHSAA officials severely punished Naylor while ignoring rules violations in other school districts, including Bell City.

MSHSAA's board of directors ordered Naylor to forfeit all its high school girls basketball and softball games played last year including its girls basketball district championship. The Naylor girls basketball team also is barred from playing in the post-season district basketball tournament this spring.

Cookson said the allegations made in Naylor's complaint against Bell City are based not only on Bowling's letter but also on information that has come from various sources, including some in the Scott County Central School District.

Cookson's uncle is coaching the Scott County Central boys basketball team on an interim basis until Heeb is reinstated.

But the Naylor superintendent said none of the information in the complaint against Bell City came from his uncle. "Ronnie Cookson could care less about this complaint," Stephen Cookson said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123