Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats is under fire for recent comments he made and his handling of his players' alleged involvement in a shooting that left one person dead.
Ex-Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and a friend were arrested in January over the shooting, and on Tuesday, it was reported that Miles' now-former teammates Brandon Miller and Jayden Bradley were involved. Miller has not been charged with a crime, but police believe Miles texted Miller and told him to bring Miles' gun to where he was in downtown Tuscaloosa.
Oats said of the situation, "We knew about that. 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. Wrong spot at the wrong time."
The Alabama coach quickly caught flak for his remark and later on Tuesday clarified his initial statement.
"I thought it was important for me to clarify the unfortunate remarks I made earlier. This entire time I've tried to be thoughtful in my words relative to this tragic incident, and my statements came across poorly," Oats stated.
He continued, "We were informed by law enforcement of other student-athletes being in the vicinity, and law enforcement has repeatedly told us that no other student-athletes were suspects — they were witnesses only. Our understanding is that they have all been fully truthful and cooperative. In no way did I intend to downplay the seriousness of this situation or the tragedy of that night. My prayers continue to go out to Jamea Harris's family."
Many in sports media said Oats should be terminated or at least suspended for his initial remarks and failing to punish his team's star player over his alleged involvement.
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