Ten years ago today, on January 10th, 2001, Alabama fans awoke to the horror of this blaring headline sprayed in bold font across the front page of the Memphis Commercial Appeal:
Underneath that headline which would send any college football fan running towards the edge of the cliff, Commercial Appeal staff writer Gary Parrish wrote in his lead:
Albert Means, a former Trezevant High football star and current University of Alabama freshman, unknowingly had his athletic skills sold for $200,000, one of the coaches involved in the alleged dealings said Tuesday.
In five interviews conducted with The (Memphis, Tenn.) Commercial Appeal over two days, Milton Kirk, a former Trezevant assistant, said he helped Trezevant head coach Lynn Lang orchestrate a deal during Means's senior season for getting the Parade All-American to sign a national letter of intent ...
Keep that in mind this morning. If nothing else, today cannot be as bad as it was this day ten years ago. Result tonight notwithstanding, be thankful that dark era of Alabama football now resides only on the ash heap of history.