The Alabama Crimson Tide are missing legendary head coach Nick Saban.
On Saturday, the first-ranked Crimson Tide suffered one of the most shocking losses in program history. The Vanderbilt Commodores bested Alabama 40-35 in a jaw-dropping upset.
Moving forward, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise if Alabama struggles, considering the Crimson Tide’s new head coach, Kalen DeBoer, can’t keep his players under control on the field.
At the end of the game, Alabama star safety Malachi Moore threw his mouthpiece across the field and shouted at his own sideline. DeBoer spoke about the incident after the game.
“The guy pours everything into what he does,” DeBoer said, per Tuscaloosa News. “Doesn’t make it OK. We want to be first class in everything we do. There’s a lot of guys that are very frustrated. The key is we turn that frustration into positive moving forward and make sure that we remember what we feel here tonight and remember that when we show up tomorrow and Tuesday and Wednesday, all season long. Malachi, I’m 100% confident he will do that.”
Moore’s teammates spoke about the incident as well.
Que Robinson called Moore’s outburst “unacceptable” and added that the team “definitely have to talk to him about his attitude and stuff on the field.”
Linebacker Deontae Lawson aired out his opinion as well.
“It hurt me when I see him like that because that’s my brother,” Lawson said. “I just look back and I think if there’s anything I could have done throughout the week or even in the game even just to make a play when we needed one, anything to help our team win. I think that’s just his emotion. Tough game. Tough loss. But in the locker room, just tell him, just keep going. We have a long season in front of us. Our goals are still right in place. We just have to get better.”
It’s clear the other members of the Alabama locker room expect more from Moore moving forward. Hopefully, he can be the leader they’re expecting.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.