A tragedy out of Alabama has cost a young mother’s life and raised questions about integrity in the Crimson Tide men’s basketball program.
As we draw closer to March Madness and the story grows, remember it started with a homicide, the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris. Her name isn’t well known and will continue to be overshadowed by the likes of freshman star Brandon Miller, coach Nate Oats, and athletic director Greg Byrne. They won’t rest easy; don’t let them.
Second-ranked University of Alabama could land a top seed when the March Madness brackets come out, drawing a spotlight that’s normally relished. Instead, Alabama is squirming, as it should.
Former reserve Darius Miles has been dismissed from the team and is facing capital murder charges (along with a friend, Michael Lynn Davis). But Miller continues to play. He has proven himself clueless and tone-deaf, if not a willing participant in the fatal shooting.
Claiming ignorance is likely Miller’s defense for allegedly transporting the weapon used in the shooting of Harris on Jan. 15. On Saturday, he looked as ignorant as possible during a mock “pat down” in his pre-game introduction.
He’s done the same routine all season, which is no excuse and apparently escaped the coach’s attention until now. “It’s not appropriate,” Oats told reporters afterward. “It’s been addressed and I can assure it definitely will not happen again for the remainder of this year.”
Too late. No more room to give Miller or administrators the benefit of the doubt.
I wasn’t certain until Saturday’s stunt, though reasonable people argued Miller and fellow starter…
Read the full article here
