While the details are still scant as to what led to the altercation in Tuscaloosa very early Thursday morning, there’s seemingly good news on the long-term health of an Alabama football player injured in the fracas.
Speaking before the Tide’s White House visit, head coach Nick Saban told reporters that he had visited with wide receiver DeAndrew White, who was hospitalized with what is reportedly a concussion. According to Saban, the injury is not something that’s expected to linger well into the future.
The coach did, though, hope White and others -- including those who may have been around the area at the time -- will take a lesson from the incident and learn from it.“I don’t think he has any long-term issues,” Saban said. “My message is, I don’t really know for sure what happened, but if you value your future, everybody should learn from the lesson of, don’t put yourself in those type of situations.”
...
“Well, we don’t have a curfew, so they weren’t breaking any rules,” Saban said. “I don’t know if there were a bunch of players out. Again, I don’t know a lot about what happened. I know that a bunch of players were going to get something to eat. But I’m always disappointed when anything happens to a player after 12 o’clock. The players know that.”
The altercation occurred sometime around two a.m. local time yesterday. It remains unclear what role if any White played in the brouhaha. Two males were arrested for firing handguns into the air in an apparent attempt to disperse the crowd, although police have stated that the individuals were not directly involved in the fight.
White had 14 receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns as a redshirt freshman during the Tide’s title run last season. He’s one of a handful of receivers vying for “significant playing time” during the recently-concluded spring practice sessions.