Alabama men’s basketball coach Nate Oats has clarified his comments on star freshman Brandon Miller’s alleged involvement in a fatal shooting earlier this year after facing fierce backlash for saying the young player was in the “wrong spot at the wrong time.”
Oats, who has been head coach of the Crimson Tide men’s team since 2019, was asked about Miller’s involvement in the deadly shooting of Jamea Harris near the university’s campus in January during a press conference on Tuesday after police testimony revealed the freshman standout allegedly provided the gun used in the killing.
“We know about that,” he said in response to questions about Miller. “Can’t control everything everybody 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.”
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The comments prompted harsh criticism on social media and later that night, Oats released a statement “clarifying” his remarks.
“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,” his statement read.
“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.”
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He continued, “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.”
H/T Fox News (read more at FoxNews.com)
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