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LENNOXVILLE - A life can change in the blink of an eye, the dreams and hopes potentially shattered by the joys of youth.
Bo Knows.
“I’ve made mistakes, stuff I regret. But it has made me a better person,” said the wonderfully-named Bo Bowling, a rookie import receiver trying to crack the Alouettes’ roster out of training camp.
Bowling comes from Tonkawa, Okla., a town of 3,500 people, where you either play football or wish you were talented enough to participate. He played contact ball from Grade 1, was the star quarterback in high school and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, a junior college, and was named the offensive most valuable player of the Southwest Junior College Conference. He eventually transferred to Division-I powerhouse Oklahoma State and changed positions, becoming a receiver, because he’s only 5-foot-9 and 183 pounds.
And then it happened, that life-defining moment.
In February 2009, Bowling was charged with three felony counts of drug possession - one of the drugs was an anabolic steriod - and was suspended from the team. He was charged with one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, one count of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, and one count of possession of controlled dangerous substances that included Alprazolam, the anti-depressant commonly known as Xanax, along with a steroid, Stanozolol.
An argument with a former girlfriend led to the drug charges. Police were summoned to the disturbance and found more than 100 grams of marijuana, plastic baggies, a scale and more than $1,100 in cash following a search of Bowling’s residence. He pleaded not guilty.
Bowling’s attorney unsuccessfully attempted to have the evidence suppressed; her argument being that police had no search warrant.
The charges eventually were reduced from felonies when the former girlfriend refused to co-operate with prosecutors. The counts against Bowling were dropped and expunged. Misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia were filed.
Bowling was given a one-year deferred sentence and spent 15 days in Payne County jail. He was ordered to complete 25 hours of community service and pay $750 in fees and court costs.
He has called the ordeal embarrassing and said he’s ashamed. He denies ever taking steroids.
“That was somewhere I never want to be and never will be. I won’t go back to where I was,” Bowling told The Gazette on Monday. “I didn’t know steroids were in my house. I admit to possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.
“A lot was written that wasn’t true, but I put myself in the situation,” added Bowling, 23. “I know the person I am.”
Suspended the entire 2009 season, Bowling lost his scholarship before summoning the courage to approach Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy about being reinstated. Gundy agreed, after approaching the school’s athletic director.
Watching all this from a distance was Montreal general manager Jim Popp. He studied Bowling for about two years, eventually putting him on the Als’ negotiation list. Playing on one of the best offensive teams in college, Popp saw a player consistently in the mix, someone who made plays, was tough, ran good routes and did most things correct. He saw a dependable and reliable receiver.
“They handled all that cleanly. They disciplined him harder than most schools would have,” Popp said. “He lost his scholarship and had to pay to go to school, working his way back. He had to work back into the school’s good graces, but they speak highly of him.
“Stuff like that sometimes happens with young people. What’s actual and factual, I don’t know. But OSU speaks extremely highly of him.”
Bowling moved from wide-receiver to slotback after three games last season. The transition proved to be an epiphany. In a game against Kansas State the end of October, Bowling caught eight passes for 92 yards. He grabbed nine for 101 the next week. In 13 games, he caught 42 passes for 437 yards, the Cowboys thrashing Arizona, 36-10, in the Alamo Bowl for the school’s first 11-win season.
“The game was taken away from me. It was tough watching the team play and succeed,” said Bowling, a physical education major who eventually plans to pursue a coaching career. “When I step on the field, I play like it’s my last game. I can’t thank coach Gundy enough. If not for him, I wouldn’t be here today. I’ll do whatever it takes to make the team and get on the field.”
It won’t be easy for any rookie receiver to crack the lineup. The two-time defending Grey Cup champions are loaded at most positions. But there’s just something about Bowling that begs a prolonged look. He’s fast and catches most passes.
“No question, it’s difficult for any young receiver to line up and understand our splits and adjustments - and catch the ball,” offensive co-ordinator Scott Milanovich said. “But he does have some juice.
“I don’t know what it is, but he does have something.”
Well here is hoping that this is another chance for him.
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