Two fans wearing shirts seeming to reference the killing of Jamea Harris caused a stir inside Bridgestone Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The front of the shirts read “GOATS” with the Alabama A logo as the A and the backs said “Killin’ our way through the SEC in ‘23.” Former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles was indicted on capital murder charges this week in the killing of Harris on Jan. 15.
When an AL.com reporter asked one of the men why he was wearing the shirt, he immediately responded to “get the f— out of my face.” When pressed on why he came to the game wearing that shirt, he stood up and repeatedly said to “get the f— out of my face.”
Later, when asked if he was even an Alabama fan, the man, who refused to identify himself, said that he was a big Alabama fan and that he would be in attendance again Sunday to watch the Crimson Tide play in the SEC tournament championship game. Alabama will play Texas A&M in the championship game at noon C.T.
SEC spokesperson Herb Vincent told AL.com that the fans would not be allowed inside Bridgestone Arena with the shirts on Sunday and that if the fans put them on at any point inside the arena, they would be asked to leave. The SEC fan ticket policy states that tickets are revocable if “user is disruptive, endangers others or uses vulgar, threatening or demeaning language.”
It was another unusual situation involving Alabama basketball in a week that has been full of them. Also on Saturday a man dressed in a Vanderbilt shirt chanted “Brandon Killer” and said “God is gonna judge you” as Alabama star Brandon Miller warmed up before the game. Miller said after the game he heard the chants but said “I lean on my teammates.”
Miller has been the source of controversy ever since a February pre-trial hearing revealed that he was at the scene of Harris’ death. Miller has not been charged with any crimes, but police testified that he transported Miles’ gun to him after being asked to do so. Miles later provided the gun to Michael Davis, according to police, who shot and killed Harris in Tuscaloosa.
A day earlier, Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats was asked about what went into the decision-making process to continue to play Miller and Jaden Bradley, who police have testified was also there. Oats said he relied on the facts from law enforcement and a decision with athletic director Greg Byrne, university president Dr. Stuart Bell and the school’s board of trustees.
“Based on the information we had, Brandon didn’t break any school policy or team policy,” Oats said, “so we were comfortable with the decision that was made.”
John Talty is the senior sports editor and SEC Insider for Alabama Media Group. He is the bestselling author of “The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama’s Coach Became the Greatest Ever.”