Boy, talk about how drastic things can change in a week…
Following Alabama’s epic triumph over the hated Georgia Bulldogs, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer spent a whole week taking victory bows.
Don’t get me wrong. DeBoer shies away from attention and praise. He wasn’t throwing himself a parade – but plenty of others were.
Fast forward just one week, and there are many – including the infamous “Legend” of Paul Finebaum fame – who are disgusted with DeBoer and claim he can never be trusted again.
That’s exactly the type of panic that losing to Vanderbilt will cause.
Former Alabama running back Damien Harris did not hold back in his criticism of DeBoer, especially when it came to his handling (or lack thereof) of team captain Malachi Moore after his outrageous on-field meltdown.
In the final moments of the massive upset, Moore completely lost his composure, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for kicking the ball.
He was also seen yelling, gesturing animatedly, and throwing his mouthguard across the field – not to mention slamming heads down on the field.
Harris, who won two national championships under Nick Saban at Alabama, believes DeBoer needs to enforce stricter accountability among his players, especially those in leadership roles.
“I’m going to tell y’all exactly why he feels like he can act like that,” Harris said on the Until Saturday podcast. “You go and look at what Kalen DeBoer said in his post-game press conference about Malachi Moore. ‘Oh, well he’s one of our guys and he’s one of our leaders, and yeah we expect him to use this and only bring positivity for the rest of the season.’”
Harris continued to emphasize the importance of discipline and holding players accountable.
“What’s up with that? Nick Saban would have said that? No. That’s bullsh*t. That don’t help you win games. That does not help you control the talent and the level of guys that you’ve never coached before. Guys that you’ve never had experience with at a program that you don’t know what it takes to win these kind of games and you just come in here trying to be everybody’s buddy buddy. Trying to be everybody’s friend.
“Well, what does that get you? … That gets you beat against Vandy on the road.”
Reflecting on the Alabama standards, at least under Nick Saban, Harris said that if any captain had the outburst that Moore did, he would have “ripped the ‘C’ off his jersey.”
For what it’s worth, Moore did issue an apology through social media: “I want to apologize to my teammates, our coaches, the fans, our alumni and my family for the way I acted on Saturday,” he posted.
“I was completely out of line. I let the emotions of the game get the best of me and put myself before the team. As a two-time captain and a fifth-year player, I understand the standard that we are expected to live up to at Alabama, and I failed to do so by acting in a selfish and unacceptable manner.
“I came back this season to represent myself, this team and this University because it means something to me. I am blessed to be able to wear the ‘A’ on my chest, and I know all that comes with the responsibility of representing this program.
“I will do better to uphold the Alabama standard moving forward, and I will continue to work and improve while conducting myself in a first-class manner.”
DeBoer noted that he’s handling everything in-house when it comes to Moore, which is exactly how it should be.
However, many are speculating that no sort of discipline is actually taking place either in front of the scenes or behind them – and that’s what bothers Harris.
What are your thoughts on the situation?
Are you okay with Moore’s meltdown knowing that it came from a place of passion and an extreme hatred of losing? … Or do you side with Harris and find the lack of accountability unacceptable???