As the Alabama Crimson Tide prepared for the Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, the program’s decision to allow star freshman Brandon Miller to play was a major topic of debate.
On Wednesday, Miller was allowed to play against South Carolina one day after police testimony connected him to the January shooting death of Jamea Harris. Miller allegedly transported former teammate Darius Miles’ gun that police say was used in the killing.
Head coach Nate Oats gives coaching advice to Brandon Miller (24) of the Alabama Crimson Tide during a timeout against the LSU Tigers at Coleman Coliseum Jan. 14, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images)
Many observers have questioned whether Miller should be allowed to suit up given those allegations.
Saturday morning during “College Gameday,” ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas defended Alabama’s handling of the situation.
“Brandon Miller has rights, and I believe that Alabama has a duty to protect those rights, or at least not compromise those rights,” Bilas said. “They know him better than we do. He has cooperated fully, according to his attorney, with authorities.
“And, to me, I think Alabama has gone through this process and handled it appropriately. Now, reasonable minds can differ with that. Maybe one school might handle this differently, but I have no quarrel with the way Alabama handled it.”
ESPN’s Jay Bilas during a game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Michigan Wolverines at Spectrum Center Dec. 21, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Miller has not been charged with any crime.
Miller’s attorney, Jim Standridge, released a statement hours before tipoff against South Carolina clarifying that the freshman standout “never saw the handgun” belonging to Miles, who has since been charged with capital murder in the shooting death of Harris near the university’s campus in January.
“On January 14th, Brandon played in a basketball game in the afternoon and later was asked by Darius Miles for a ride to the Strip area to go to a nightclub,” the statement said, according to the Tuscaloosa Patch.
Gregory Jackson II (23) of the South Carolina Gamecocks defends Brandon Miller (24) of the Alabama Crimson Tide as he drives to the basket during a game Feb. 22, 2023, at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. (David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Mr. Miles brought his legal handgun and left it in the backseat of Brandon’s vehicle. Brandon never saw the handgun nor handled it. Further, it is our understanding that the weapon was concealed under some clothing in the back seat of his car.”
The statement added that instead of going into the nightclub, Miller went to get food. He was later contacted by Miles to pick him up and go to a different location. While he was already on his way, Miller received a text from Miles asking him “to bring him his firearm.”
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Miller’s attorney claimed Miller never “interacted with anyone in Ms. Harris’ party” or Michael Lynn Davis, who is also charged with capital murder. The lawyer also disputed a claim that Miller’s vehicle blocked the path of the car in which Harris was a passenger at the time of the shooting.
Following Bilas’ comments Saturday, Dan Dakich of OutKick took to Twitter to disagree with the ESPN analyst.
On Friday, Alabama head coach Nate Oats said he believes the university has done the right thing by allowing Miller to play.
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Brandon Miller listens to head coach Nate Oats of the Alabama Crimson Tide during a timeout during a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks Feb. 22, 2023, at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. (David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“We’ve been taking it very seriously from day one. The first minute that I got the information, I called [athletic director] Greg [Byrne], and we talked about it and the severity of it,” Oats said at a news conference. “Greg, I thought, did a great job addressing those comments on Wednesday, and I really don’t have much to add to it.
“We feel like we’ve done the right thing in this case. So I’m going to leave it at that with Greg’s comments.”
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and Ryan Morik have contributed to this report
