Section to Investigate Burbank Incident : High school football: Commissioner Crowley will look into charges that Bulldog coaches tried to recruit player who quit team at Burroughs.

Southern Section Commissioner Dean Crowley said Friday he would investigate charges of illegal recruiting by the Burbank High football program following allegations filed by Burroughs Coach Robert dos Remedios.

Crowley will meet Friday with Burbank school district officials and the Burbank and Burroughs principals.

“I want to see what’s going on,” Crowley said. “We’ll get in there and work this thing out. If there’s something amiss out there, we want to know about it.”

The investigation follows a complaint by dos Remedios, who alleged this week that Burbank Coach John Hazelton, junior varsity coach Doc Johns and Burbank school board President Joe Hooven tried to persuade former Burroughs player Ken Wilson to transfer to Burbank and play football.

Wilson, a senior two-way starter until he quit the Burroughs team last week, denies that Hooven and Johns tried to recruit him when they approached him in the stands during a Burroughs football game Sept. 14.

Wilson quit the Burroughs team, he said, because dos Remedios was verbally abusive. Dos Remedios denies the charge.

Wilson has since said he wants to rejoin the Burroughs team, but no decision has been made on that request.

In the complaint faxed to the Southern Section on Tuesday by dos Remedios, the second-year coach stated that witnesses claim Hooven and Johns tried to recruit Wilson for Burbank. Dos Remedios also alleges that Wilson and Hazelton met Monday.

“I never heard of Ken Wilson until he walked up to me,” Hazelton said. “He said, ‘I want to come here to school.’ I said, ‘I can’t help you in any way.’

“I would be a fool to do anything but follow standard procedure. All this stuff is garbage and I wish it would leave me and go away. I don’t want Burroughs players.”

Dos Remedios said Hooven is biased toward Burbank, pointing out that Hooven has placed a full-page advertisement in the Burbank football program, but has not done so in the Burroughs program.

Hooven did not return numerous phone calls.

“Hooven’s my problem,” dos Remedios said. “The guy’s never talked to me--ever. Every time somebody quits, he wants to make it sound like I’m running kids off. I can’t afford to run kids off. Especially [Wilson], a two-way starter for two years. I only have 22 [players].”

At a Burbank school board meeting Thursday, Hooven denied the recruiting allegation, according to trustee Mike McDonald.

“Hooven made a statement to the effect, ‘If I have said anything to upset anybody, I apologize for it,’ ” McDonald said.

“He stated that he did not say anything in regards to recruiting [Wilson], and I have to believe that Joe’s not trying to recruit him.”

Earlier this week, trustee Denise Wilcox said the board would investigate the allegation against Hooven.

However, McDonald, who played football at Burroughs, USC and nine seasons for the Los Angeles Rams, said the board has no immediate plans to investigate.

“Until I hear the whole story, I can’t make a judgment,” he said. “I just hope the truth prevails.”

Crowley said he would not investigate Hooven. However, Crowley said he will investigate the transfer of two former Burbank players, who played last year for the Bulldogs after leaving Montclair Prep.

“I don’t know what to think about all this stuff,” Burbank Athletic Director Frank Kallum said. “[Hazelton is] running a clean ship. And we’re sure of it.”

Said Crowley: “There have been transfers in there, but it’s no greater than at any other schools.”