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Bama News

What happened on DeVonta Smith ejection punch
Nick Saban, Alabama players give perspective on controversial moment.
Helmet on, walking slowly to the locker room, DeVonta Smith heard a few cheers and more hissing from Texas A&M students.
Moments earlier, the quiet Crimson Tide receiver took a swing on Texas A&M safety Leon OāNeal to earn a rare ejection from Alabamaās 47-28 win in College Station. It came in the closing moments of another weird one in Kyle Field -- a game Nick Saban said Alabama didnāt finish with class.
Saban and a few players offered their view of the altercation that sent Smith to the showers early.
āBasically, he got hit -- punched and he retaliated,ā Saban said. āWeāll have to wait for the conference office to see what his status is. It was offsetting fouls. Obviously their player shouldnāt have punched him but (Smith) should have had the discipline not to hit him back because thatās a foul. We would have got a 15-yard penalty and that would have basically ended the game.ā
Smith was blocking OāNeal on a running play from Brian Robinson when the two got tangled. OāNeal tossed Smith to the ground, then shoved Smith on the side of the helmet as they stood up.
The Alabama receiver reached back and delivered a quick punch with his right hand that had a little more juice than the first one.
His status for next weekās game against Tennessee rests with the SEC who will review the play. Unlike targeting ejections, situations like Smithās will be evaluated in the league office to determine if further punishment is handed out.
Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs was standing right by the altercation as it occurred.
āIt was a back and forth,ā he said. āI canāt really say what went through his head but I mean the guy slammed him on the ground and the guy swung on him. I donāt really know how to say what he was feeling but you can just see his reaction to it.ā
Offensive lineman Landon Dickerson has experience in momentās like that. He tangled with Duke defensive lineman Edgar Cerenord in the season opener. After the Blue Devil threw a punch, he had to make the same lonely walk to the locker room with an ejection.
āItās just playing hard,ā Dickerson said of Saturdayās post play action. āWe try to play with emotion and not be emotional so it got a hold of us a little bit there. Toward the end, we just have to be resilient, especially at the end of the game. We canāt make stupid mistakes.ā