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WATCH: Brandon Miller continues pre-game introduction ritual amid increased scrutiny

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•02/25/23•

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Alabama star Brandon Miller
Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Brandon Miller has seen his name in the headlines all week but not for the right reasons. The capital murder case involving former Alabama player Darius Miles saw Miller’s name mentioned. But for now, there have been no charges against the freshman and he remains just a witness in the case. As such, he continues to play for head coach Nate Oats.

Saturday saw Arkansas in town but unfortunately, some more scrutiny involving the murder has been brought up. During pregame introductions, Miller was named as a starter to the Coleman Coliseum faithful and was high-fiving his teammates. Miller made his way to the end of the tunnel and was seemingly patted down by walk-on Adam Cottrell.

This is something Alabama has been doing for a while, predating the Oats era in Tuscaloosa. Every starter has a similar pregame routine. However, given the situation surrounding Miller, this might be something they want to stop moving forward.

You can watch the full moment here.

Nate Oats addressed pregame pat down from Brandon Miller

Another wrinkle to the Brandon Miller situation came to light on Saturday. Alabama was playing host to Arkansas on Saturday, with Miller being announced as a starter during the pregame introductions. A pat down of the Alabama star occurred and has once again gained national attention amid the murder of Jamea Harris.

Head coach Oats addressed the situation during his postgame press conference. Despite not personally being involved with pregame introductions, Oats says the move has been put to an end. Obviously not being the best look for everyone involved, Oats admitted it’s not an “appropriate” move from Miller and walk on Adam Cottrell.

“I think that’s something that’s been going on all year,” Oats said. “I’m not involved, I’m not paying attention … regardless, it’s not appropriate, it’s been addressed and I can assure you it will not happen again the remainder of this year.”