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http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2013/12/dj_pettway_accepted_responsibi.html
When D.J. Pettway came to East Mississippi Community College
, Lions defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley recalled, he came with no excuses.
Pettway, a former four-star prospect from Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic, is one of three Alabama players who was arrested in February on second-degree robbery charges – a fourth faced related charges of credit card fraud – and was dismissed from the team after his redshirt freshman year. On Wednesday, Pettway again signed with the Crimson Tide after an incident-free year at EMCC in which Lesley said he was a model student-athlete.
"Not an ounce of trouble, not any issue off the field, in the classroom, campus, whatever. Not one single mishap," Lesley said. "A lot of times, kids will go a couple different ways with it. A lot of times, it's somebody else's fault. ... The first time I talked to him, he said, 'Coach, I made a mistake. That's really not me. I made a mistake. I'm going to learn from it. I've hurt a lot of people in my life and I've hurt the University of Alabama. I've hurt myself. What do I need to do?'
"When he said that, I knew what kind of kid I was dealing with. If he ever needed me, I was there for him. Watching him grow a little bit as a player but a lot as a man was a really good experience for me. I enjoyed being around him every day. He'll be fine. He's going to do some great things."
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Pettway was second on EMCC's team with 11½ sacks in 2013, with 4 ½ coming in the final three games as the Lions won the NJCAA national championship. Lesley said it was always clear he wanted to return to Alabama.
"You could tell it was always a place he was in love with," Lesley said. "That was always the goal and the hope – that he could get back there. I think that was always where his heart was, and a lot of times I think that's where his mind was – he'd watch them on TV a lot. I think the Iron Bowl probably upset him as much as it did anybody."
Jarran Reed was third on East Mississippi Community College's team with 66 tackles in 2013. (Photo courtesy of 247Sports)
Pettway was one of two Lions to sign with Alabama on Wednesday, joining fellow EMCC defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who was third on the team in tackles with 66, with 3½ sacks. Both Pettway and Reed are four-star prospects, according to 247Sports.
"He's a 6-foot-5, 310-pound guy who is a very good athlete, very powerful guy," Lesley said of Reed, whom he believes could play nose tackle or end in Alabama's 3-4 scheme. "He plays with a lot of passion, he plays with a lot of emotion. He's a very physical player."
Lesley said Reed, a native of Chatham, Va., is also a player who has dealt with adversity in his family life – the loss of a grandfather with whom he was very close.
"His grandfather was a big influence in his life," Lesley said. "It's just him and his mom and older brother. I know her real well. She's a really unbelievable lady who worked her butt off for those young men and I think in turn Jarran works his butt off for them. He has the ability, the will and the want-to to do some great things in this game. He has lost some people along the way in his family and in his life. He had to go a long way from home to accomplish his goals and he's made it happen. And I think he'll continue to do that."
When D.J. Pettway came to East Mississippi Community College
, Lions defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley recalled, he came with no excuses.Pettway, a former four-star prospect from Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic, is one of three Alabama players who was arrested in February on second-degree robbery charges – a fourth faced related charges of credit card
fraud – and was dismissed from the team after his redshirt freshman year. On Wednesday, Pettway again signed with the Crimson Tide after an incident-free year at EMCC in which Lesley said he was a model student-athlete."Not an ounce of trouble, not any issue off the field, in the classroom, campus, whatever. Not one single mishap," Lesley said. "A lot of times, kids will go a couple different ways with it. A lot of times, it's somebody else's fault. ... The first time I talked to him, he said, 'Coach, I made a mistake. That's really not me. I made a mistake. I'm going to learn from it. I've hurt a lot of people in my life and I've hurt the University
of Alabama. I've hurt myself. What do I need to do?' "When he said that, I knew what kind of kid I was dealing with. If he ever needed me, I was there for him. Watching him grow a little bit as a player but a lot as a man was a really good experience for me. I enjoyed being around him every day. He'll be fine. He's going to do some great things."
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Pettway was second on EMCC's team with 11½ sacks in 2013, with 4 ½ coming in the final three games as the Lions won the NJCAA national championship. Lesley said it was always clear he wanted to return to Alabama.
"You could tell it was always a place he was in love with," Lesley said. "That was always the goal and the hope – that he could get back there. I think that was always where his heart was, and a lot of times I think that's where his mind was – he'd watch them on TV a lot. I think the Iron Bowl probably upset him as much as it did anybody."
Pettway was one of two Lions to sign with Alabama on Wednesday, joining fellow EMCC defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who was third on the team in tackles with 66, with 3½ sacks. Both Pettway and Reed are four-star prospects, according to 247Sports.
"He's a 6-foot-5, 310-pound guy who is a very good athlete, very powerful guy," Lesley said of Reed, whom he believes could play nose tackle or end in Alabama's 3-4 scheme. "He plays with a lot of passion, he plays with a lot of emotion. He's a very physical player."
Lesley said Reed, a native of Chatham, Va., is also a player who has dealt with adversity in his family life – the loss of a grandfather with whom he was very close.
"His grandfather was a big influence in his life," Lesley said. "It's just him and his mom and older brother. I know her real well. She's a really unbelievable lady who worked her butt off for those young men and I think in turn Jarran works his butt off for them. He has the ability, the will and the want-to to do some great things in this game. He has lost some people along the way in his family and in his life. He had to go a long way from home to accomplish his goals and he's made it happen. And I think he'll continue to do that."
