Booster club of Tennessee high school football team under investigation by the state's treasury comptroller

The booster club of a Tennessee high school football team is under investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. The inquiry started after the Knox County School System reported questionable transactions at Knoxville’s Bearden High School.

While the report was dated January 31, 2025, the records investigated were from July 1, 2022, to September 30, 2024. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, the State Attorney General, and the District Attorney General received copies of the report.

The investigation revealed that the booster club paid salary supplements of at least $60,000 but without the school system’s knowledge. The treasury comptroller’s office reported that club officers improperly wrote 23 checks for coaches without the school system’s approval.

The monetary total breaks down to $55,000 for one assistant coach, split into $22,500 during the 2022-23 school year and $32,500 the following year. Meanwhile, the remaining $5,000 went to another assistant coach.

Likewise, Bearden collected money from their Tennessee high school football players but without accounting it as a student activity fund. The Bulldogs’ club officers charged $400 per student in July 2023 and $500 a year later. Sadly, the club placed the money into their account, instead of accounting for the collection before depositing it into the school’s account.

Bearden’s booster club also made unaccounted and questionable disbursements worth at least $13,676. That amount covered food, gift cards, and supplies that didn’t have proper documentation. A club officer also charged $64 on a club card for personal items.

These concerns led Tennessee’s Comptroller of the Treasury to declare Bearden’s several deficiencies. In addition to failing to keep proper records, Bearden’s club officers did not implement ample segregation of duties, with one person having exclusive control of financial duties.

Bearden also did not submit proper fundraiser forms and prepare related profit analysis. Finally, club officers failed to deposit funds within three days after collection, as required by the comptroller’s Model Financial Policy. However, club officers have been notified of these deficiencies, which they will rectify for proper compliance.

The Bearden Bulldogs finished the 2024 Tennessee high school football season with a 9-5 record. Bearden is the 23^rd-best team in the final Tennessee On3 Composite Team Rankings.