Alabama Basketball HC Walks Back ‘Poor Choice Of Words’ About Star Player’s Link to Deadly Shooting

The University of Alabama’s head basketball coach Nate Oats walked back comments he made about star player Brandon Miller’s link to a deadly shooting.

Former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and Michael Lynn Davis were both charged with capital murder in the shooting death of Jamea Jonae Harris. Miles and Davis allegedly shot at a car she was in near the campus.

On Tuesday, police told a grand jury that Miller supplied the gun for the deadly shooting, after being summoned to the eventual crime scene by Miles, who asked him to bring the weapon. At a press conference later that afternoon, Oats gave a remarkably tone-deaf press conference over why Miller was still with the team.

“We knew about that,” Oates said. “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.”

On Wednesday night, Oats addressed his comments from Tuesday afternoon, and the head basketball coach showed remorse for what he said a day prior.

“Before we get into the game, I want to address yesterday’s comments and my response to the Brandon Miller question,” Oats said. “I’m not here to make excuses, but I want to make it clear, I didn’t have the details from the hearing that morning since I was coming straight from practice.”

“And I used a poor choice of words making it appear like I wasn’t taking this tragic situation seriously, which we have throughout the course of it,” he said. “I sincerely apologize for that.”

Oats went on to say he didn’t have “anything more to add” since Alabama’s Athletic Director Greg Byrne addressed the media before Wednesday’s game. Byrne was a guest on ESPN’s College Gameday Podcast and told them Miller did not break any laws.

“Although we are not investigators, we do have a duty to evaluate whether anyone involved has violated the rules, policies, or standards of the university. We make that evaluation based on facts. We found some new facts yesterday; we found out some facts today,” Byrne said.

Alabama beat South Carolina 78-76 after Miller scored the go-ahead basket with less than a second left in overtime.

Watch above via ESPN 2.