Katie Hnida said last month she was raped by a Colorado teammate in 2000 but didn't tell police back then because she was afraid of the player and didn't want a "media mess."
"I did not understand how a young lady can say she was abused, or whatever it was, two years later," Bowden told The State for Tuesday editions.
"At the time, why don't you go report it? It seems like you ought to report it right (away). So it makes me say, 'Well, did it really happen like that?' I just don't know. I know this. You can't get many men much better than ol' Gary Barnett. Talk about a good man. And I know he's got good morals."
Barnett was placed on administrative leave after he called Hnida an "awful" player who "couldn't kick the ball through the uprights." Barnett later said his comments were taken out of context.
"Gary Barnett simply told what he thought was the truth: She was not a very good player," Bowden said. "Boy, that cost him. Fifty years ago, nobody would have even said a thing about that (comment)."