In the end, one of the off-field incidents Alabama had to traverse this offseason kept a Tide football player on the sidelines.
Following Bama’s romp over USC Saturday night, Nick Saban confirmed that Alphonse Taylor had been suspended from the season-opening game in Texas. The head coach also confirmed that it was a one-game suspension for the offensive lineman, and he’ll be eligible to play in the Week 2 matchup with Western Kentucky.
The senior was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident in July. It was subsequently reported that Taylor, who called police himself to notify them that he had hit another vehicle, took two breathalyzer tests and both came back at 0.0.
It was announced the day after his arrest that Taylor had been indefinitely suspended, although he was subsequently reinstated and permitted to practice with the team. Late last month, he was found not guilty of DUI.
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.