As for his divorce from UA, Lawrence was one of four players named Wednesday by Crimson Tide coach...

As for his divorce from UA, Lawrence was one of four players named Wednesday by Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban as having "violated some type of team rule or policy and were not invited back on our team."

Lawrence disputed that account in this report by the Hattiesburg American, saying "That's something that isn't true."

Departing Tide player Alonzo Lawrence is headed to Southern Miss - The Bama Beat

Go ahead and prepare yourselves for the barrage of "Nick Saban is EVIL" posts from our rivals (and non-rivals who just have a really hard time keeping their smug yankee noses out of our business). Lawrence was, of course, one of the four players "not invited back" to the team for disciplinary reasons. Estes talked with Lawrence's high school coach, Al Jones, who said his dismissal "wasn't anything major," and tied it to things like being late to team meetings.

"Hopefully, this has been a learning experience for him," Jones said, "and he'll mature and go on to have a good college career."

Being late to team meetings might not be "major" to most (though I'm sure in the coming onslaught of "OMG NICK SATAN CHEATS HIS PLAYERS OUT OF SCHOLARSHIPS" it won't be major), but if one finds themselves on a team led by a coach who stresses fundamentals and discipline to the degree that Saban does, and who has proven over and over again he's going to play the guys who do things his way over the ones who don't even if it is a downgrade at talent and game experience (Mike McCoy over Keith Brown, Marquis Johnson over Lionel Mitchell, etc.), then I'm fairly certain one should make sure to not let the little things pile up. Besides, if he really thought he hadn't gotten a fair shake, he could have appealed.

3 months ago Todd 17 comments 0 recs |

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Lawrence

needs to just let it go and try to start fresh at Southern Miss. It’s over, move on.

I hate the NCAA more than UT & AU combined. At least with UT & AU you got a fighting chance.

by 5026 on Aug 8, 2009 5:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

so...

…I listened to the presser, Saban said “violated team rules” and " were not invited back."

If you are missing team meetings and the team rule is be at meetings on time, then guess what? you violated team rules.

If I showed up for work late, consistently, the boss would tell me I was not employed anymore.

So somebody is not telling the whole truth.

Playing media tag, on the issue, is pretty damning for Lawrence though.

Offense sells tickets. Defense wins games. - Paul W. "Bear" Bryant

by TheRedTideConsumes on Aug 8, 2009 6:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I wish Lawrence the best

but I’m sure there was some kind of disciplinary problem that caused this.With the quality recruits coming in every year and attrition being something that has to happen.You cant get lazy or comfortable and stop the effort that got you here.Saban is a no bs coach building the total program these players know it.It’s up to them what they do with the opportunity.

I think you know what I mean...

by RollTideRoll on Aug 8, 2009 6:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

alonzo, alonzo, alonzo...

here is a bit of advice from someone that has learned it the hard way. rule number one of a job interview is never bad mouth your ex-employer. turns out it applies in other areas of your life as well.

by kleph on Aug 8, 2009 6:05 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

agreed

sometimes you gotta roll the hard six

by chapkyle on Aug 8, 2009 9:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

this really sucks

because at the time he was considered such a get for us…

I guess when things just don’t work out they just don’t work out

WARNING small parts that could be a choking hazard

by Wallacewade04 on Aug 8, 2009 6:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Appeal

Is there any precedent for a football player making such an appeal to retain his scholarship? I’m just thinking, if this situation is awkward now, imagine how it would be if Alonzo Lawrence filed an appeal when the head coach clearly wants him gone. An appeal might be techinically possible, but not practical or even realistic.

And I’ll put down the crimson kool aid for a minute and say, like most things in life, the real truth of the matter probably isn’t so black and white. No doubt its very possible Lawrence was having some issues being part of the team and needed to go. However, you could say his issues were…………very convenient to some extent, as the team HAD to lose some players.

by Bobby Briggs on Aug 8, 2009 8:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

But that's the point...

…the team did need to trim some scholarships, so why wasn’t he doing everything he was supposed to to make sure he keeps his? And, further, look at the four guys who greyshirted. Do you think they want to delay enrollment? Probably not, but I’d bet you a dollar that they the possibility was discussed with them while they were being recruited and before they signed, and they did so because they wanted to come play for Saban and if that’s how it has to be, so be it. If it came down to it, several other players would have likely had to wait to enroll as well to make the numbers fit.

Roll Bama Roll

by Todd on Aug 8, 2009 9:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's not forget...

…there are also still players on this team (and let’s all please refrain from naming any of them) who seem to be much less likely to have the ability to garner meaningful playing time than Lawrence. I think it’s safe to say that we can take CNS at this word when he says that the players who have left haven’t left because they didn’t have the ability to play. If you want to stick around, you do your job.

by NiceLittleSaturday on Aug 8, 2009 9:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

However, you could say his issues were…………very convenient to some extent, as the team HAD to lose some players.

Convenient in what way? Under what circumstances is it convenient to lose a very talented played?

Fact is, there’s nothing convenient about this. In fact, we’re not talking about freeing up a scholarship (something I’m disappointed to see that more and more Alabama fans seem to want to concede that we need to do) — scholarships can be freed up without kicking players off the team. What we’re talking about is a young man who wasn’t living up to the expectations of his “job” and got himself “fired.”

Also:

I’m just thinking, if this situation is awkward now, imagine how it would be if Alonzo Lawrence filed an appeal when the head coach clearly wants him gone.

The appeal isn’t to the head coach, it’s to the financial aid department. In fact, members of the Athletic Department can only serve on the committee that hears the appeal if they’re regular, standing members that hear the FA appeals of all students.

It’s difficult to find out how many appeals there have been (successful or otherwise) because of privacy laws but even if Alabama has never granted such an appeal, without more information we have no idea if that’s because, as you suggest, that everyone’s in on it or because the coaches do such a good job of giving the players a fair shake that the FA committee finds no fault with the scholarship loss.

by PeteHoliday on Aug 9, 2009 1:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Convenient in what way? Under what circumstances is it convenient to lose a very talented played?

Hey, I’m on board with you. I’m not happy about it either. By convenient, I meant it was convenient for Nick Saban and the Alabama program and their need to get down to 85. Perhaps Lawrence’s issues were wholly legitimate, and perhaps he would have been kicked off the team even if we only had 80 people on scholarship.

I’m just some fan who has never been involved with the workings of a major college football program and am rambling on a message board. With that being said, I was a 19 year old kid once, and if this kid showed up 15 minutes late to 3 meetings and maybe skipped 1/50 weight training sessions this summer, I hope that didn’t give the University of Alabama all the reason it needed to kick him out of school. Because that could be any 19 year old kid……….

by Bobby Briggs on Aug 9, 2009 7:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

By convenient, I meant it was convenient for Nick Saban and the Alabama program and their need to get down to 85

What makes you think they needed to do that? Further more, if they DID need to offload scholarship athletes, why on earth would you kick off a talented one instead of one that will likely not reach the field?

The answer to the first question is: we really have no idea how any team makes 85. The answer to the second question is that you wouldn’t unless you thought his discipline issues reduced his value to the team.

As for how lenient you think they ought to be . . . listen, I know they’re 19 year old “kids”. But guess what: they’re getting a free ride to school, and all they have to do to get it is PLAY FOOTBALL. i.e.: live the dream that virtually every little boy has growing up. Forgive me if I don’t have a whole lot of sympathy for a young man who can’t be bothered to show up to team meetings on time, especially given Saban’s emphasis on rehabilitating the players and second chances and not punishing just to punish.

by PeteHoliday on Aug 9, 2009 8:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

They needed to get down to 85

Because that’s the maximum amount of players a team can have on a football scholarship in a year. I don’t mean to sound dense, or like a jerk when I say that, but that’s what it is. Perhaps Saban overestimated attrition this year, or was surprised that so many of the new class academically qualified. Alabama found itself in a position where it needed to lose a few, one way or another. And perhaps the attrition that took place was completely genuine, I honestly have completely no idea.

Also, as to the talent of Alonzo Lawrence (and again this is complete speculation and hearsay), it might be a bit overestimated. I also hear he’s had some issues with the mental parts of the game.

by Bobby Briggs on Aug 10, 2009 8:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Alabama found itself in a position where it needed to lose a few, one way or another

Says who?

This is information that nobody knows except the athletic department. That was my point. You have, quite literally, no idea how many scholarships Alabama has promised for this year.

by PeteHoliday on Aug 10, 2009 6:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ah

I see what you are saying. I guess we really don’t know who is or isn’t on scholarship after their freshman seasons. However, with 3 who signed LOI’s this past February greyshirting and delaying their enrollment, I feel….confident in assuming all 85 have surely been handed out. Perhaps the athletic department was caught a bit by surprise with so many of the freshmen class qualifying, Kerry Murphy making it in finally, etc. I’m not saying the athletic department created some attrition where it 100% was not warranted, I’m just wandering if it 100% was.

by Bobby Briggs on Aug 10, 2009 7:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

But you’re still making a huge assumption here on the basis of very weak facts.

The three greyshirts could very easily have been planned that way all along (and they could have been offered the scholarships contingent on greyshirting).

Per NCAA bylaws, the football team can’t take away scholarships after July 1, so odds are that this was all worked out to Saban’s satisfaction prior to that date, and that extra attrition from July on is just going to shift a scholarship from those players to someone who wasn’t originally going to get one.

by PeteHoliday on Aug 10, 2009 9:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs