Joseph Goodman: Jermaine Burton messed up

[aubiefifty 17,100]

Joseph Goodman: Jermaine Burton messed up and now it’s on Alabama coach Nick Saban

Updated: Oct. 20, 2022, 9:44 a.m.|Published: Oct. 20, 2022, 7:06 a.m.

7-9 minutes

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The mistakes kept coming for Alabama even after the loss to Tennessee.

And so now Alabama coach Nick Saban has an important decision to make. How should he handle this unacceptable situation involving one of his players? What a mess. A video surfaced this week of Alabama receiver Jermaine Burton reaching out and striking a female Tennessee fan amid the on-field chaos of Tennessee’s dramatic victory against Alabama at Neyland Stadium.

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Should Burton be kicked off the team? Should he be suspended? What’s the punishment for hitting a woman that’s a fan of a rival school? Saban said on Wednesday night that it would be handled internally after saying earlier in the day, through a statement, that Alabama was gathering information about the situation.

So here’s what happened. Tennessee defeated Alabama 52-49 on a last-second field goal. Epic game, of course. One of the best you’ll see. Moments later, Tennessee’s fans rushed the field. During that wild scene, with Alabama’s players trying to leave the field through a rush of students, Burton’s exit intersected with the oncoming path of the fan. At that point, Burton reached out and struck the fan.

Oof. Bad stuff. Dumb.

Kinda looks like Burton was trying to clothesline the fan, but it’s impossible to really tell anything or even know anything other than Burton wasn’t trying to give the woman a high-five or congratulate her on Tennessee finally beating Alabama for the first time since 2006. The fan later said on social media that she was smacked. Don’t know about that either. Maybe so. The video that captured the moment is of awful quality, shot by a fan from in the stands.

For the conspiracy theorists out there, and this being the SEC there are always “alternative truths” to consider, the person recording the video had nothing to do with it. This wasn’t a “Slip’n Jimmy” situation. Burton wasn’t set up, in other words. The amateur videographer was just pointing their smartphone in the direction of all of the chaos down on the field.

I was down there. It was pretty nuts. Maybe even rivaled Kick Six-level crazy. Not only were fans pouring onto the field, but they were manipulating fire at the same time to honor the tradition of smoking cigars after The Third Saturday in October.

Most everyone was either less than sober, drunk on joy, really mad or a paid nerd like me trying to document everything. Even the cops couldn’t control the fans. The goalposts later came down, and one set was carried off en masse and tossed into the Tennessee River like an offering to the war gods of the SEC.

Look, it goes without saying that players can’t hit fans, and that fans can’t hit players. It happens, though. Earlier this season, a fan of Texas Tech appeared to strike a Texas football player after Tech upset the Longhorns. Auburn fans have interacted with Alabama players after games, too.

Just me thinking out loud here, but you’d think Alabama would have a plan for these types of moments. Every time they lose on the road, the opposing team’s fanbase storms the field. Then again, it seems silly wasting time on plans for after a loss.

Maybe not anymore. If nothing else, Burton, who is from Calabasas, Calif., and transferred to Alabama from Georgia for this season, has unfortunately made that a requirement for all teams after he hit a female fan.

Stunned, the fan turned around to face Burton as he walked away. The comment attached to the video on TikTok: “Jermaine Burton smacking me in the head while walking past him after their loss Saturday.”

The video and comment were later removed. Fans of Alabama’s rivals have already determined that Burton should be kicked off the team, of course. Maybe. Saban will decide, and then Saban will have to live with that decision. If Burton is gone, it leaves Alabama with one fewer standout receiver.

Most teams have clear policies in place for incidents involving domestic abuse, but this is not domestic abuse. Still, Burton hit a woman on the field, and so now it’s a defining moment of this season for Saban. If Saban is forced to dismiss Burton, then that decision could affect Alabama for the remainder of the season. Look what happened in the national championship game against Georgia when Alabama lost Jameson Williams to an injury. Alabama’s offense fell apart.

Burton was supposed to be the replacement for Williams. Weird as it sounds, Burton left the team he won a national championship with against Alabama to play with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. Can’t blame him for that. Young is the best player in college football.

All that is secondary now, though, and or at least it should be. It shouldn’t matter whether Burton is a starter, super star, walk-on, where he came from, or even the circumstances of the incident in question. But of course it does, and so let’s not try to pretend any differently.

Let me be clear, though. Burton needs to be held accountable for hitting a woman. Case closed. But did Burton even know it was a woman? Maybe not. It was such a wild scene after the game. I didn’t push anyone that I can remember, but I have seen reporters shove fans before.

Tennessee was fined $100,000 by the SEC for its fans rushing the field. Here’s the thing about that, though. Schools are fined for fans rushing the field not because players might hit opposing fans. Players know they can’t hit anyone. The fines exist because fans can trample each other and be killed.

I hate this for everyone involved. These aren’t the things that are supposed to define a season, but a standard needs to be upheld and all eyes are now on Saban.

This is a national story because of the nature of the game and how it ended. It’s a high-profile case because Alabama is a national brand and because of Saban’s reputation as the best coach in the history of college football. Also this, too. A player hitting a woman on the field is unprecedented in sports.

I don’t know how this compares to other flashpoints between fans and players throughout sports history, but the video that was posted to the internet was disturbing.

Hopefully the fan is OK. At the very least, Burton and Alabama need to apologize. The video, which was blurry, doesn’t indicate that she was hurt or injured from the alleged smack.

Does the severity matter? The circumstances? Saban will decide, and no one else. If Burton remains on the team, then Alabama will be tied to Burton’s actions for as long as he plays football in Tuscaloosa.

Saban gives second chances. Most good coaches do. Keep in mind that Saban didn’t fire defensive coordinator Pete Golding after he was arrested for a DUI in the offseason. Saban has kicked players off the team in the past, though, for moments of violence in public.

This incident can’t be dismissed as the fan’s fault or a natural consequence of fans storming the field. Burton is in the wrong here, and now it’s on Alabama to determine what happens next.

What’s acceptable, and what’s not? Let’s not downplay the obvious. Men striking women can’t be ignored, diminished, rationalized or allowed at any time.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of “We Want Bama: A season of hope and the making of Nick Saban’s ‘ultimate team’”. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.

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[creed 1,666]

I haven’t seen the video but if true I suppose the victim could report the incident and the defendant could be charged with assault and battery and sued for damages. Not sure the value of the defendant’s NIL, but I suppose that could be on the table. 

[WarTim 3,457]

Saban will require that he eat chocolate ice cream instead of his preferred rocky road. 

[smackydoodle 200]

If they deem him a high contributor = "handled internally"

If they deem him replaceable = "no place here"

[EagleEye67 1,945]

Because its Alabama, nothing will happen. 

[Gowebb11 9,429]

On 10/20/2022 at 12:36 PM, creed said:

I haven’t seen the video but if true I suppose the victim could report the incident and the defendant could be charged with assault and battery and sued for damages. Not sure the value of the defendant’s NIL, but I suppose that could be on the table. 

I found it oddly predictable that AL.com ran the article but didn’t post the widely available video. If it had been an AU player it would have been posted immediately in loop format. By the way, the video is ugly. He clearly intended to hit her. 

[TexasTiger 13,135]

Looks like Knoxville DA will need to file charges for there to be any accountability.

[WarTim 3,457]

He just has too much bammer in him. (The player and the moron that wrote this article)……..