Nick Saban sends message in suspending Alabama football player found with pot
Alabama banned freshman football player Tony Mitchell after he was nabbed with what police described a “significant” amount of marijuana following a traffic check in Florida and is facing a charge of possession with the intent to sell and/or deliver.
As a result, Alabama head football coach Nick Saban is taking a tough stance.
“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said on suspending the defensive back.
“It is impossible to be in the wrong location at the wrong time. It’s what it is. However, there is a cause and effect when you make choices and actions that land you in undesirable situations.”
Saban’s choice of words was notable given what Alabama men’s basketball coach Nate Oats said last month about star freshman Brandon Miller and his alleged connection to a shooting that killed a woman earlier this year.
Oats came under fire for telling reporters that Miller was at the “wrong spot at the wrong time.”
According to police evidence, Miller brought a gun to a teammate, Darius Miles, which was later used to kill a lady. Miller hasn’t been charged.Oats later apologized for his statement, and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne stated that the institution was not fully told about the incident until the basketball coach spoke publicly.
Mitchell, a four-star recruit from Alabaster, Alabama, was listed as a consensus top-10 defensive back nationally and a top-15 player in Alabama.
Mitchell, who has been a highly sought-after recruit since middle school, first committed to Tennessee before moving to Alabama in June.