Thursday, October 04, 2007
Brent Bowden could have punted media
Randy King
Randy King's Tech Insider is exclusive to roanoke.com and is posted by 5 p.m. Thursdays in season.
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Before talking to Brent Bowden on Monday for a feature story that will appear in tomorrow’s Roanoke Times sports section, another Tech football beat writer warned me about what a lousy interview the Hokies’ punter was.
Ha!
All I know is Bowden gave me 20 minutes of his time. And he was talkative, candid, and willing to answer all my questions.
After the way the kid was burned by an irresponsible member of the Fourth Estate before the 2005 ACC Championship between Tech and Florida State, I wouldn’t blame him if he told every media member to stick their tape recorders and microphones where the sun doesn’t shine.
Even better, stick ’em in the "coffin corner."
Two days before the Hokies traveled to Jacksonville, Fla., for the game, a story appeared in Tech’s student newspaper, The Collegiate Times. In a Cliff Notes version, the story strongly insinuated that Bowden, then a redshirt freshman, had given his older brother, FSU punter Chris Hall, via a telephone conversation between the two, inside information on the Hokies’ game plan.
"Yeah, I know he is. I still hate the guy for writing that story. It was just ridiculous to put that stuff in the paper. What’s the point?" Bowden said.
"That whole thing was really overblown. It was a rumor that started and it just went around and around ... like people on the telephone passing it around and they made it sound worse to the next person. And once it got to [the writer], it was all hearsay for him. And they put it on the front page! And it was totally crap!"
Bowden said the inferno started after he talked to his older brother on the phone earlier in game week.
"Chris and I were talking football and other stuff, just like we did every week," Bowden said. "We were talking about how practice was going and such."
Knowing that Brent was punting on Tech’s scout team, Chris asked his younger brother something akin to "so you’re playing me this week ... what are you guys saying about me?"
Bowden swears that was the extent of a conversation, which was obviously overheard by someone else and then passed to the outside.
"We didn’t talk about anything that we were doing for that game," Bowden said. "But the story got spread around the team and it eventually got to Coach Beamer. Coach Beamer was real mad and he had like misunderstood what I had said [to Chris]. Coach Beamer was saying it was true, we’re going to make you transfer. I was on the hot seat. And when I explained it to him later in his office, he understood that it was no big deal.
"I’m still here. So that tells you what really happened."
Bowden noted that members of Tech’s kicking teams don’t even get a playbook.
"I don’t even touch the playbook, I haven’t ever touched a playbook," Bowden said. "You’d thought I had got the playbook and FedExed to [the Seminoles].
"Honestly, I don’t pay attention to what we’re doing in practice. I have no clue. I’m just kicking a ball. And some people seemed to think I knew everything and I spilled it to him. Shoot, any fan probably knows as much as I do about what we’re doing in the game plan."
Bowden said his brother couldn’t believe all the hubbub the story created.
"Chris was like, ‘even if you did tell me something, which I know you wouldn’t, what am I going to say to the [FSU] coaches?' " Bowden said. "He was like, ‘yeah, I’m going to tell them and they’re going to be like, all right, we’re going to change our game plan because of something your brother said!’
"They’re not going to do that. The whole story was ridiculous."
When asked about the incident Tuesday, Beamer said: "It wasn’t a big deal. You know, you’re talking to your brother, and, all of a sudden, people ... what was exact after that wasn’t clear.
"I firmly believe Brent would never do anything to hurt Virginia Tech, never intentionally."
Of course, heavily favored Tech lost to Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles, 27-22.
"Just another good reason we need to beat them this year," Bowden said.
He smiled. End of bogus story.
ALL IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Denise Bowden, Brent’s ultra-knowledgeable football mom, came up with a good note about the Centreville/Westfield High connection in Tech’s 44-3 win over William and Mary on Sept. 22.
"It was funny, because our neighbor behind us here, David Miller, was the punter for William and Mary," Denise said. "And he became a kicker because of Brent.
"Plus, the long snapper for William and Mary was a Westfield grad, too. Of course, we’ve got Eddie Royal and Sean Glennon from Westfield, too, at Tech.
"So now here’s Eddie catching David Miller’s punt and running down the field for a touchdown. After the game, Brent asks: ‘Eddie, did you wave hi to David as you ran by him?’ Eddie laughed real loud.
"Then, a few minutes later, we were standing by the William and Mary bus with David and his parents, so Brent tells David that and he says, ‘oh, funny, funny.’
"They all laughed. It’s funny how many how athletes this little cul-de-sac has produced."
The Bowdens now have a third punter in the family. Sixteen-year-old Grant handles the punting for Westfield High. The Bowden’s other son, Brian, 18, is not exactly left out. He owns his black belt in taekwondo.
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