A Minnesota mom has admitted that she lied to get her daughter's high school basketball coach fired from his job. Julie Bowlin signed a document confessing that she made up the accusations against coach Nathan McGuire, and she agreed to settle his defamation lawsuit for $50,000 on Monday, July 11, 2022.
The settlement comes years after McGuire sought to clear his name after Bowlin launched a "campaign of lies" against him. The settlement also comes three years after the Minnesota Supreme Court looked into the lawsuit, per CBS News.
Speaking to the press at the Washington County Courthouse, the coach said he could finally close this chapter in his life. McGuire said that he hopes his case will give rise to "safeguards for coaches" across the U.S.
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What did Julie Bowlin lie about?
Bowlin's daughter, Brooke Bowlin, was a freshman when McGuire got his job at Woodbury High School in 2013. A week into the session with the new coach, Bowlin was displeased that the coach often had Brooke scrimmage with the junior players. The mom wanted her daughter to play with the varsity team.
The mother got in touch with different school officials so Brooke could get her varsity playing time, according to East Bay Times. Bowlin fed stories about McGuire during these meetings to force him out of his job. She even told some parents that McGuire was once jailed for mistreating players.
By December of that same year, Bowlin moved her daughter to another Minneapolis Catholic school, yet she continued to spread lies about the coach. She was able to convince other mothers, who also disagreed with McGuire's coaching style, to express their dissatisfaction with school district officials.
The mothers' group claimed McGuire was aggressive and manipulative towards the children. They also alluded that their coach bullied and mistreated the players, which led to McGuire's suspension. The school district also hired lawyers to investigate the accusations.
Bowlin's lies were uncovered by the school district's legal team, forcing her to sign a written statement that she made those fake allegations. In 2014, the school reinstated McGuire as a teacher but not a coach. He then filed a defamation lawsuit against the Minnesota mother.
Apparently, after applying to more than 50 basketball coaching jobs, McGuire said that Bowlin's lies destroyed his chances of returning to a job he loves. With the truth finally out and confirmed by the Supreme Court, McGuire hopes to land his first coaching job in almost a decade.
Brooke Bowlin graduates as a school athlete
Bowlin has been ordered to settle in the form of a $50,000-worth life insurance policy payable in $300 increments. If she fails to make the payments on time, the settlement amount will increase to $350,000.
Meanwhile, the coach's former player, Brooke, went on to play in her high school's basketball varsity team. In college, she also became a star athlete on St. Cloud State University's softball team. She graduated from college this year.
Despite the settlement, McGuire told Audacy that he had not received a personal apology from Bowlin.
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