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Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats condemned star freshman Brandon Miller’s pre-game patdown during player introductions, following the news that he gave former teammate Darius Miles the gun — which belonged to Miles and was left in Miller’s car earlier in the night — that was ultimately used in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old mother Jamea Harris in Tuscaloosa.
The incident led to Miles and his childhood friend Michael Davis facing capital murder charges, but Miller was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Despite the fact that Miller is in no legal trouble, he continues to be a target of criticism along with Oats and the Alabama athletic department as he continues to play for the Crimson Tide while the murder trial is ongoing.
Oats specifically came under fire for comments he made about the situation, saying that Miller was simply in the “wrong place at the wrong time.”
Then, last week after the gun report surfaced, Miller was in the headlines for his controversial “pre-game patdown” at the end of the player introduction line. One of Miller’s teammates patted him down, and people called out the lack of awareness of the gesture and the fact that it was completely tone deaf.
Brandon Miller being introduced during the starting lineups pic.twitter.com/Fen0xT8V8L
— Ryan Hennessy (@RyanWVTM13) February 25, 2023
It’s important to note that Miller had been doing the patdown all season, but considering the cloud hanging over the Crimson Tide program it was definitely a questionable decision to continue with the gesture.
Nate Oats said that the pre-game patdown was “unacceptable” and assured the media that it would never happen again.
Oats is also explaining the gesture, saying it had nothing to do with being patted down for a gun. Instead, he provided the explanation that his players gave him for the patdown.
“They explained to me that it’s like when TSA checks you before you get on a plane and now Brandon’s cleared for takeoff,” Oats said, via CBS Sports.
The No. 2-ranked Crimson Tide return to the court on Wednesday night for a meeting against the Auburn Tigers at Coleman Coliseum. They will then travel to College Station to cap off the regular season with a showdown against No. 24 Texas A&M on Saturday, March 4, before turning their attention to the SEC Tournament and March Madness.
