Alabama Football: After a silence, Jalen spoke and his words cause concern

Alabama football fans have reason to be concerned about what Jalen Hurts said Saturday before practice on fall camp Media Day.

A quick word to all Alabama football fans. Anyone looking for closure on the Alabama football QB situation will not find it here. Any Tide fans interested in Nick Saban being bashed for his handling of Jalen and Tua will be disappointed. What follows includes no bashing, not of Nick or Jalen or Jalen’s father.

Additionally, we have no inside scoop on what has gone on behind the scenes since the euphoria of January wore off. What we have is a video of Jalen talking today. Already there is an abundance of media opinion. Our readers can find that opinion without our help. All we offer is the opinion of one Alabama football fan who watched carefully and became concerned.

Our concern is on multiple levels. We are concerned about all the players on the Alabama football team who must shield themselves from being drug into future controversy. More specifically, we are concerned for Jalen and Tua. They have both represented the University of Alabama well. Although from afar, we judge them to be fine young men.

View the video for yourselves. It is a the bottom of this post. Draw your own conclusions that may be very different from what we offer. We all want the same thing – what is best for Jalen and Tua – and what is best for the Alabama football team. No doubt Nick Saban wants the same. But wanting it and being able to achieve it are not the same.

What Jalen said

Since the video is provided, we will paraphrase rather than quote. The young man has gone through a trying time over the last several months. While others; fans, alumni, media and his father talked, Jalen remained quiet. On Saturday, Jalen implied leaving Tuscaloosa before his December graduation was never a consideration. Nor is it now.

He also expressed frustration that despite the abundance of opinions, no one seemed to care what he thought. Without stating it directly, he seemed to say the ‘no one’ included the Alabama football coaching staff. He also alluded to the time for talking through the situation had come and gone.

Jalen gave no impression he is wavering in his battle to be the Alabama football 2018 QB starter. Still, the unspoken thoughts between his words may include an awareness the QB plan will not go his way. We do not know his thoughts. We do not doubt his resolve. He has not quit nor do we expect him to do so.

What we now doubt is how much Jalen will play this fall. He can be expected to support his teammates, even not being the named the starter. There is nothing in his character to indicate a future lack of loyalty. If he does not win the starting job before the Ole Miss game, he could ask to be held in reserve. Playing in no more than four 2018 games would leave him with two seasons of eligibility.

Earlier on Saturday, Nick Saban said no plans had been devoted to a two-QB system. Does Nick already expect Jalen will not be content to a minority share of quarterback snaps?

How the situation will play out cannot be predicted. After today, it is naive to think it will play out with zero controversy.

What we know

We know that during the summer, Nick Saban said a player calling attention to themselves is a detriment to leading the team. At the time it appeared to be an admonishment for Tua’s comments in Hawaii, referring to wanting to transfer last season. The exact quote, reported by Chris Lowe was,

"everything you do to bring attention to yourself, or anybody even in your family that brings attention to yourself, you’re not doing yourself a service in trying to win the team"

Saban could have also been responding to Averion Hurts’ statement that Jalen could become “the biggest free agent in college football history.”

Here is the video from Saturday.

Bama Hammer will follow the situation closely. We will share what we know and also what we think may happen.