Bama’s Oats goes all out to protect star
Alabama played South Carolina in basketball Wednesday night. It was the least important story involving that program in a very news-filled and controversial 36 hours.
The Tide are good. The Tide have the nation’s best college NBA prospect. The Tide are dashing toward a 1 seed, and again, that’s known information that’s not overly pertinent to the moves and shakes in Tuscaloosa.
Tuesday, we learned all of those things come with the tainted knowledge — a knowledge that the program originally said it had but Alabama AD Greg Byrne said the school was learning new details — that the aforementioned future NBA star Brandon Miller brought the gun to former teammate Darius Miles, who then gave it to a person who killed a woman with the gun earlier this year.
The details from the Tuesday hearing involving Miles and Michael Lynn Davis — each of whom is charged with murder in the killing of Jamea Harris — made it clear that Miller brought Miles’ gun to Miles that fateful night, setting in motion the events that forever changed the lives of many and ended the life of Harris.
From there, the claims of the hearing — including a statement that Miller’s Dodge Charger blocked the victim’s Jeep in a parking space moments before the guns were fired — are only part of the story.
And only add to the questions.
Meeting with the media Tuesday after details took the news-cycle and social media by storm, Alabama coach Nate Oats was as tone deaf as a 2-by-4.
“We’ve known the situation since (it happened),” the Alabama coach said Tuesday, according to transcripts of his initial meeting with the media. “We’ve been fully cooperating with law enforcement… I mean, we can’t control everything anybody does outside of practice. Nobody knew that was going to happen. College kids are out. Brandon hasn’t been in any type of trouble, nor is he in any type of trouble in this case.
“You know, wrong spot at the wrong time.”
Read that last one again — “wrong spot at the wrong time” — and remember that Miller got into his car,
brought a loaded gun to the Strip, and that’s 100% choosing the wrong choices that lead you to the wrong spot every time.
The rebuttals have come quickly Wednesday, which means either the statements made in court were wrong — or misleading — or the details from Miller’s attorneys are.
The questions of guilt and innocence will be left to the courts. According to an assistant DA involved in the case, when asked about Miller’s role, “there’s nothing we could charge him with” was the legal answer.
The matter of justice will be measured by God in the end.
But the questions of who knew what and when and how the last five weeks have been handled by Oats and his bosses paint an ugly picture of convenience for one of the nation’s best teams and how it can keep their best player on the floor.
And that’s with the unrefuted knowledge that Miller brought a loaded murder weapon to a crowded night-spot where several young adults almost assuredly had been drinking.
As for what Alabama athletic officials knew and when they knew it — remember Miller’s Dodge had at least one bullet hole in it — truly needs to be answered.
Because the absence of knowledge — accompanied with an abundance of what feels like faux sympathy from Oats after the fact — when apparently two current Alabama players were at the scene of Harris’ killing certainly has the feel of a cover-up.
It’s hard to unhear Oats’ words Tuesday when he looked the part of a panicked coach facing the music he prayed would never be reported. Byrne said the school has talked to Oats about his comments, but they are not going anywhere any time soon.
“Wrong spot at the wrong time” is a defensive lapse. Or a missed box-out chance. It’s hardly what Perry Mason will use for someone who brought a loaded handgun to a gunfight.
And yes, Oats released follow-up statements Tuesday and Wednesday night trying to clarify his above remarks after the initial statement showed him to be a bigger jackwagon than Rick Pitino, more tonedeaf than a 2-by-4, or desperate to be on the Dave Bliss AllStars in terms of college basketball murder cover-ups.
As for what happens next, that’s anyone’s guess. Well, other than Miller still playing — and playing well — for a great college basketball team.
But regardless of whether Miller keeps playing or the Tide keeps winning, the questions should keep coming for Oats and Co.