This is certainly at least a mildly interesting development.
Earlier this month, offensive lineman Alphonse Taylor was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. A day later, Alabama announced that the offensive lineman had been indefinitely suspended.
However, there’s a mitigating factor head coach Nick Saban may need to take into consideration when determining any additional punitive measures. According to court documents obtained by the Tuscaloosa News, Taylor took a pair of breathalyzer tests at 9:19 a.m. the morning of the incident. And, per the documents, both tests showed the lineman had a 0.0 BAC.
Or, as Dean Wormer so eloquently informed John Blutarsky...
From the News’ report:Taylor called Tuscaloosa Police at 8:50 a.m. that Sunday to report that he had struck a vehicle in the parking lot.
“I immediately noticed that Taylor’s speech was very slow and he appeared lethargic,” the responding officer wrote in the arrest report. “Taylor advised that he had not been drinking, he did not take medication and had no medical problems.”
The officer wrote that Taylor was reclining in his 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe when he arrived. Taylor told the officer that he had bumped his head on the steering wheel. The 911 call taker who dispatched the officer to the accident reported that Taylor was very difficult to understand.
“While I was speaking with him, I observed him drop his phone on the ground between his feet,” the officer wrote. “Taylor struggled and swayed to retrieve his phone.”
...
The officer reported that Taylor’s eyelids were drooping, and that he performed poorly on the eye tests and could not keep his balance and started too soon during the walk-and-turn test. He reported that Taylor was walking unsteadily, swayed while standing and needed support exiting his vehicle. The officer checked boxes describing Taylor’s attitude as cooperative, indifferent, carefree and sleepy. The officer noted that he did not smell alcohol.
It should be noted, though, that Taylor was officially charged with driving under the influence of any substance which impairs the mental or physical faculties; no blood test was taken either at the scene or after he was arrested and taken to the Tuscaloosa Police Department station. That said, Taylor’s attorney is already angling for a way to get his client out of his predicament.
“Anytime you have a .00 blood-alcohol and there’s not a long time period between the arrest and the time of the test, it raises an eyebrow,” Jason Neff told the Decatur Daily. “What compounds this situation is we have a traffic accident in which (Taylor) hit his head on the steering wheel. ...
“As we look forward, it’s going to be difficult for the city to establish that there’s enough evidence here.”
A redshirt senior, Taylor has played in 35 games during his time in Tuscaloosa, starting 17 of those contests. 15 of his starts came at right guard during the Tide’s run to the title in 2015.
Last month, the media tabbed the redshirt senior as second-team preseason All-SEC.