Alabama Football: Disrespect recoils upon the Vol offender

Tennessee safety Rashaan Gaulden flipped off the Alabama football home crowd; however, in the process, he disrespected everything that matters to him.

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Blood will have blood; however, violence will, ultimately, recoil upon the violent. Timeless proverbs continue to be true in our modern world because, apparently, the young keep forgetting to learn from history’s mistakes. Especially in the game yesterday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Mark Heim of AL.com reported that the lone score by the Volunteers, an interception returned 97 yards by Daniel Bituli in the third quarter, was followed by Gaulden “celebrating by flipping off the Alabama fan base for every one to see [in the end zone]. Tennessee was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.” It was the team’s first touchdown in 26 days, but it was overshadowed by Gaulden’s disrespectful actions.

UT’s head coach Butch Jones stated, “That’s something that will be dealt with internally in our football program. That’s not who we are. That’s not what we are about. But, he knew that. We spoke about it. He feels awful about it. It’s one of those things that, overall, just being mature football team. Again, that is something we don’t accept in this program, and he understands that.”

Yet, instead of showing the insulting incident and discussing his following apology, let us concentrate on the gravity of Gaulden’s situation.

What did his double-finger salute to the Alabama fans really accomplish? The score was 28-0, with no sign that the Volunteers’ offense was going to move the ball well enough for a possible comeback. Alabama’s eventual 45 points made the pick-6 a mere blip on the Crimson Tide’s day. All that Gaulden’s actions did was spark the crowd and the Alabama players into action, while making Gaulden look foolish:

The first person whom Gaulden should have apologized to was his teammate Bituli. Gaulden took away Bituli’s moment on the national stage. Nobody was talking about the incredible run down almost the entire length of the field, because Gaulden felt it was more important to be selfish and cowardly by antagonizing a crowd who could do nothing in retaliation but boo him. Bituli should have been praised for his accomplishment, instead of Gaulden being hated on for the hate that he spread around the stadium.

Whether fairly or unfairly, our actions are judged by society as hints at who we really are. Gaulden admits in his apology that his actions were not how he was raised, yet many people may now think, justified or not, that his parents did not do a good enough job. That perception must be a hard pill for Gaulden to swallow the next time he sees his parents.

Maybe it is time to listen to the profound speaker, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for some advice: “Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

A few possessions later, the Alabama backup quarterback responsible for the interception, Tua Tagovailoa had the opportunity to get his revenge. He made an incredible QB run for 23 yards, cutting on a dime to make the safety on the play look like he forgot his jock strap while breaking both ankles, and scored another touchdown. The play was perfectly set up for Tagovailoa to make any disgraceful gesture of his own to the Volunteers or their fans, and many Crimson Tide supporters would likely have felt that he was justified if he did.

Yet, Tagovailoa took the high road, the classy road:

Tagovailoa ran over to his teammates with positivity in his heart. He jumped around with his teammates, including starting QB Jalen Hurts, and made everyone smile with his beaming eyes. His love for his team was more important to him than exacting some pitiful revenge on Gaulden or the other Volunteers.

Living well is the ultimate revenge against hate. Right now, Alabama is living the good life:

Gaulden did not get a cigar, last night. He did not get a party of thousands cheering for him. He did not get any love from his coach. All that Gaulden got was a big helping of humble pie, that he had to show the media after the crushing defeat of the game. He could have slinked into the shadows after the loss, had he not thrust his teammate out of the spotlight and put himself into it.

When NFL scouts look at Gaulden’s tape, his flippant actions will always be attached to it. The professional football teams will have to ask themselves whether they want someone willing to disgrace himself and his team for a quick fix of hate. A man should not be condemned by one mistake, but everything is magnified when it comes to college football. Hopefully, for Gaulden’s sake, it will be the last time that he ever chooses to lash out before he thinks about it.

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Are Gaulden’s actions a response to #TennesseeHateWeek that consumed much of the media platforms leading to the game? Possibly. Gaulden’s actions do beg the question of how much can be expected of these young athletes when so much hate is spewed upon them by fans and the media. Everyone has their breaking point. However, Gaulden cannot control any of that. All that he could control were his actions and the love that he has for his teammates. Instead, he chose hate over love.