Coaches & Corrections

First on the coaching front, we've been asked the status of former Muscle Shoals baseball coach Jonathan Knight. We have no new info, but several contacts have pointed in the direction of Florence High for the popular coach. We wish him the best.

Is Josh Fowler leaving as well? We hear Deshler is calling.

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Now, from a reader:

Concerning Brenda Mayes departure from MSHS as women’s volleyball and basketball head coach, we’d like to know how her salary compared with that of head football coach Scott Basden. Basden makes $97,000(+) of reported income and hasn’t won a state championship. Mayes, on the other hand, has won several state championships. Under Title IX rules, shouldn’t Coach Mayes salary be equivalent to or exceed that of football coach Scott Basden. Merit does mean something, doesn’t it. Do we smell another lawsuit coming? When we say the word “equality”, do we really believe there is such an animal that exists. Just a little food for thought for those upper crusted individuals in Muscle Shoals.

We have no figures on this, but before anyone looks up salaries and hopes to make a point, consider the same accusation was made against UNA a few months ago. According to athletic director Mark Linder it's comparing apples and oranges since boys' sports bring in more revenue than the girls' and football brings in much more revenue than basketball. If anyone does pursue this, we'll be happy to publish their findings.

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We also want to correct some misinformation from a reader concerning Coach Tracey Montgomery. She has no son in the Muscle Shoals school system, just two lovely daughters.

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If you missed our big mistake two days ago, the Will Powell family wants everyone to know they are Republicans...not Democrats. The Lauderdale race to succeed circuit Judge Mike Jones should be one of the more interesting.

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Small town politics are always interesting. In case you haven't heard:

No Charges Filed Against Brooks Teacher

Shoalanda

Jonathan Knight Termination/Misdemeanor Redux

Jonathan Knight Termination Statement Revised by Original Author:

Monday evening, Athletic Director Scott Basden called a “secret baseball” meeting with Superintendent Brian Lindsey, MSHS Principal Chad Holden & MSHS Head Baseball Coach Josh Fowler.  Basden instructed Josh Fowler to fire Head Coach Jonathan Knight for MSMS 7^th & 8^th grade Baseball,  immediately. If Fowler did not fire Knight, Fowler himself would be terminated.   Coach Knight had a winning season of 32-4 for 2015.  Knight has been head coach for the last 4 years and has made a huge impact on the Middle School baseball program.  Basden’s reason for Knight’s firing was “a parent approached him regarding a conflict of interest in Knight having a child on the Varsity Baseball team and him being a Middle School coach.  The majority of coaches at Muscle Shoals also have children in sports in the high school or middle school programs.  Baseball parents and players truly believe that Basden is penalizing Knight because his son is not playing Varsity Football this coming season.  Coach Knight has been fired with unjust cause!

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From a Muscle Shoals reader:

Concerning Coach Knight and BOSS BASDEN's called "secret meeting". (who exactly is in charge in the school system?)

So let's figure out Basden's motives to get rid of a winning coach -------- because he has a son in sports?

BASDEN:

head football coach and AD

son plays middle school football

COACH SMOTHERS

Son's high school - he coaches his boys

COACH KILPATRICK

has sons play football

COACH MONTGOMERY

has a son that plays football

COACH WILLINGHAM (COMMENTATOR)

has a son that plays football

COACH WOOD (assistant)

mommy is principal at elementary

COACH MIZE (assistant)

mommy is guidance counselor at high school

COACH STARKEY 

mommy is high school bookkeeper

Is that enough to make a point - or should I go on about the other 20 or so coaches and their personal entanglements at MSCS?

Coach Knight should think about going to Deshler or Florence - They love winners in all sports (the new coach at Deshler is going to give Basden a run for the money in recruiting. Basden might have met his match)

Hide those rings Derrick Gargis!!!!!  Getting rid of a coach with a record of 32-4 should be alarming to you with those state championships under your belt..

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While we realize we will never satisfy some critics on some issues, we will again try to explain to JT our misdemeanor policy in this statement: A misdemeanor in and of itself does not make a public personage. A felony, in our opinion would, and does in this blog. Did we express ourselves in the most understandable manner concerning the Lauderdale County man's arrest. No. But did we lie? No.



Shoalanda

Who Is a Public Person?/Jonathan Knight Bites the Dust?

Greg Scoggins, aka Deerslayer

We've published our policy on blogging on arrests, etc., many times. We seem to have some obtuse readers who don't get it or pretend they don't. Since yesterday we received some requests to report on the misdemeanor arrest of a Lauderdale County man. We chose not to, and a Muscle Shoals reader has questioned us repeatedly.

In the simplest terms, we blog on misdemeanor arrests if they involve a PUBLIC PERSON. What is a public person?

1. A celebrity. If Mick Jagger gets a DUI in Sheffield, we'll probably mention it.

2. An elected or employed official who holds our safety and the public well-being in his/her hands. A judge hires his entire family? Yes. A police officer goes hunting on city time and kills a sheltered animal that basically belongs to all taxpayers? Yes. A park employee gets arrested for misdemeanor theft on his lunch hour? No.

3. A person who injects himself/herself into the public eye. A man holds a news conference stating he was abused by city officials in some manner and has a record of falsely claiming the same in several cities he's lived in the past 40 years? Yes.

4. A person currently in the legal system. This includes anyone currently under arrest or indictment, in prison, or on probation. In other words, if a man on probation for felony bank robbery is arrested for misdemeanor assault, we would feel free to publish this arrest. What if a man killed his brother-in-law, three neighbors, and seventeen chickens 30 years ago, completed his sentence, then received that ubiquitous DUI in Sheffield? No. We'll note that sex offenders never leave the legal system.

No, JT, Greg Scoggins doesn't have to be John Dillinger's brother. If you don't understand why he's a public person and the brother of a local sociopath isn't, we're very uncertain on how to elucidate you.

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We have received the following statement from an extremely reliable source. We are choosing to publish it as it was written to us. We welcome any comments and rebuttals.

Monday evening, Athletic Director called a “secret baseball” meeting with Superintendent Brian Lindsey, MSHS Principal Chad Holden & MSHS Head Baseball Coach Josh Fowler.  Basden instructed Josh Fowler to fire Head Coach for MSMS 7^th & 8^th grade Baseball immediately.  Even though Coach Knight had a winning season or 32-4 record for 2015.  He has been Head Coach for the last 4 years and made a Huge impact on the Middle school baseball program.  Basden’s reason for Knight’s firing was “a parent approached him regarding a conflict of interest in Knight having a child on the Varsity Baseball team and him being a Middle School coach.  The majority of coaches at Muscle Shoals also have children in sports in the high school or middle school problem.  Baseball parents and players believe that Basden is penalizing Knight because his son is not playing Varsity Football this season.  Coach Knight has been fired with unjust cause!

Shoalanda