bradenob
Member
Maurice Smith, parents speak out about ongoing battle with Alabama
"Working around football, Smith's mother has seen players at various schools become scholarship limit casualties and have their scholarships pulled. She says she was concerned that could happen to Maurice, who had gone from the favorite to win the Tide's nickel back job entering fall camp last year to playing strictly on special teams." Really? I'd have to check each game, but I believe that Smith was on the field for many, if not all of the games, in some capacity, on DEFENSE. And she says she's concerned..... I don't know where she has seen scholarships pulled living over in Houston. I am not saying that it doesn't occur, or that it CAN'T occur, or that is shouldn't occur, but I'd like her to tell us an example she REALLY heard of - he doesn't say he asked her that, and he doesn't CONFIRM his contention that Mo Smith was only playing special teams. I can tell you that, in the SEC and National Championship games, he DID play on defense!
"So that made it a surprise when Saban called him into his office the next day and exploded." Now, I have seen Saban explode at players, but shouldn't it have said 'allegedly exploded'? In the NEXT paragraph he goes on to say "This is the way Maurice described that meeting to his parents."
"What made it worse is that Smith, who was already frustrated with how the season was playing out, had no idea why he was being yelled at until later in the meeting.
"I think that meeting right there severed the umbilical cord because Maurice was like, 'I'm not able to trust this man,'" Maurice's father, Maurice I, said." First, is that SABAN'S fault that Mo Smith had no idea??!! Maybe he should thank his meddling mom for that - I mean, the kid is 21 and has been in the program for 3 years, and she is fighting his battles? But Zenitz doesn't bother to ask her why she did that behind her son's back...
[and really, Mo's father goes by Maurice I? Did he ASK to be referred to that way? 'Cause I have NEVER, EVER seen that before]
"Saban, according to Smith's father, told Smith that he would prefer to move cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick inside to play nickel back when Alabama goes into its nickel and dime defenses. Why was that a problem?" So now we are not getting the story second hand, from Mo Smith, but THIRDHAND, from Maurice I.
"Saban had already told Smith that he feels like Smith is a better fit at safety than at cornerback. "So Maurice was thinking, 'OK, so if you find someone that can come in and play corner, that means that Minkah will be at (nickel back) and I'll be out.'" Smith's father said." Zenitz is not careful to point out that this is still ALLEGEDLY what Saban said - actually, it doesn't really make sense with what we have seen on the field, but who knows, it might be true.
Also interesting that the mom would ask the son, AND the dad, to leave the room. Wonder what her pants size is - it's obviously the biggest in the family! I mean, really lady? But nothing from Zenitz asking why she did that.
And interesting that Mo was 'on track' to graduate in May. It might have helped his cause - not sure what happened there, and apparently Zenitz doesn't care to know, so we won't either unless a GOOD reporter follows up on it.
Finally, nothing by Zenitz saying that the compliance people OR Saban were asked to comment on the story before it was published, and what their response was. Did he even ask??
Crap job by this reporter, regardless of the fact that I may simply not appreciate Saban being put in a bad light.
If Mo thinks that he can go and start at UGA, maybe Kirby told him so, and maybe he could. And MAYBE it would help his chances in being drafted. We will never know.
Saban probably doesn't care, and he can take care of himself, but the whole way the article was written was, to me, unprofessional, one-sided to stir the pot, and was more or less a slam on Saban AND the Univeristy, and I don't appreciate it.
Roll Tide
"Working around football, Smith's mother has seen players at various schools become scholarship limit casualties and have their scholarships pulled. She says she was concerned that could happen to Maurice, who had gone from the favorite to win the Tide's nickel back job entering fall camp last year to playing strictly on special teams." Really? I'd have to check each game, but I believe that Smith was on the field for many, if not all of the games, in some capacity, on DEFENSE. And she says she's concerned..... I don't know where she has seen scholarships pulled living over in Houston. I am not saying that it doesn't occur, or that it CAN'T occur, or that is shouldn't occur, but I'd like her to tell us an example she REALLY heard of - he doesn't say he asked her that, and he doesn't CONFIRM his contention that Mo Smith was only playing special teams. I can tell you that, in the SEC and National Championship games, he DID play on defense!
"So that made it a surprise when Saban called him into his office the next day and exploded." Now, I have seen Saban explode at players, but shouldn't it have said 'allegedly exploded'? In the NEXT paragraph he goes on to say "This is the way Maurice described that meeting to his parents."
"What made it worse is that Smith, who was already frustrated with how the season was playing out, had no idea why he was being yelled at until later in the meeting.
"I think that meeting right there severed the umbilical cord because Maurice was like, 'I'm not able to trust this man,'" Maurice's father, Maurice I, said." First, is that SABAN'S fault that Mo Smith had no idea??!! Maybe he should thank his meddling mom for that - I mean, the kid is 21 and has been in the program for 3 years, and she is fighting his battles? But Zenitz doesn't bother to ask her why she did that behind her son's back...
[and really, Mo's father goes by Maurice I? Did he ASK to be referred to that way? 'Cause I have NEVER, EVER seen that before]
"Saban, according to Smith's father, told Smith that he would prefer to move cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick inside to play nickel back when Alabama goes into its nickel and dime defenses. Why was that a problem?" So now we are not getting the story second hand, from Mo Smith, but THIRDHAND, from Maurice I.
"Saban had already told Smith that he feels like Smith is a better fit at safety than at cornerback. "So Maurice was thinking, 'OK, so if you find someone that can come in and play corner, that means that Minkah will be at (nickel back) and I'll be out.'" Smith's father said." Zenitz is not careful to point out that this is still ALLEGEDLY what Saban said - actually, it doesn't really make sense with what we have seen on the field, but who knows, it might be true.
Also interesting that the mom would ask the son, AND the dad, to leave the room. Wonder what her pants size is - it's obviously the biggest in the family! I mean, really lady? But nothing from Zenitz asking why she did that.
And interesting that Mo was 'on track' to graduate in May. It might have helped his cause - not sure what happened there, and apparently Zenitz doesn't care to know, so we won't either unless a GOOD reporter follows up on it.
Finally, nothing by Zenitz saying that the compliance people OR Saban were asked to comment on the story before it was published, and what their response was. Did he even ask??
Crap job by this reporter, regardless of the fact that I may simply not appreciate Saban being put in a bad light.
If Mo thinks that he can go and start at UGA, maybe Kirby told him so, and maybe he could. And MAYBE it would help his chances in being drafted. We will never know.
Saban probably doesn't care, and he can take care of himself, but the whole way the article was written was, to me, unprofessional, one-sided to stir the pot, and was more or less a slam on Saban AND the Univeristy, and I don't appreciate it.
Roll Tide
