Damien Harris rips Malachi Moore, Kalen DeBoer over DB's blowup amid Vanderbilt upset

Alabama safety Malachi Moore drew a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct when he kicked a football that officials had just set and marked ready for play in the waning moments of a 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt.

Just minutes earlier he had exploded in frustration, tossing his mouth-guard across the field. He also seemed to refuse a substitution, instead waving for the player who was set to check in for him to return to the sidelines.

It was an uncharacteristic outburst from a veteran leader. And at least one former Alabama player thinks it deserves punishment.

“No. 13, Malachi Moore,” former running back Damien Harris said on the Until Saturday podcast. “Now brother, I don’t know you. I’m not trying to disrespect you. But what you did last night on that football field was complete and utter bullshit. You are a two-time captain, somebody who has your hand in a footprint at Denny Chimes.”

📺Our co-host, former Alabama RB Damien Harris (@DHx34), rips Alabama DB Malachi Moore for his tantrum against Vanderbilt.

"What you did on that field was complete and utter bull****. You are a two-time captain."

On tmrw's Until Saturday: https://t.co/2rlzM0YjjQ @davidubben pic.twitter.com/ZZnjgNMsfn

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 7, 2024

The game was already out of hand when Malachi Moore made his gaffe by kicking the set football, but it was still a poor show of sportsmanship. Worse, it may portend bigger issues in the program, Harris said.

He explained.

“How did you show up yesterday? The only thing I remember seeing from you is slamming a guy’s head on the ground unnecessarily, punching yourself, throwing your mouthpiece, kicking a football in front of; not even in a way of nobody’s looking, like I’m bigger than the game, I’m bigger than the team, I’m bigger than this moment. Hey everybody look at me. Look at how pissed off I am. Look at what I’ve got to say about it. Let me pick up a ridiculous 15-yard penalty for literally no apparent reason. And you call yourself a two-time captain?

“I can tell y’all what would have happened in the days that I was there. We would have tried to rip the ‘C’ off his jersey. We would have lit him up, from every coach, every player. Rueben Foster, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Daron Payne, Jalen Hurts, Jerry Jeudy, everybody would have been on this dude’s head. Like what? We don’t do that. What’s up with that? If we go out there and we get beat, we’re going to handle all of our issues internally. But no guy is bigger and above this program, so you don’t get to act like that.”

Harris was also displeased with coach Kalen DeBoer‘s response to the Malachi Moore incident. To him, that was a big part of the problem.

“I’m going to tell y’all exactly why he feels like he can act like that,” Harris said. “You go and look at what Kalen DeBoer said in his post-game press conference about Malachi Moore. ‘Oh, well he’s one of our guys and he’s one of our leaders, and yeah we expect him to use this and only bring positivity for the rest of the season.’

“Damn that. What’s up with that? Nick Saban would have said that? No. That’s bullshit. That don’t help you win games. That does not help you control the talent and the level of guys that you’ve never coached before. Guys that you’ve never had experience with at a program that you don’t know what it takes to win these kind of games and you just come in here trying to be everybody’s buddy buddy. Trying to be everybody’s friend. Well what does that get you? That gets you beat against Vandy on the road.”

To say the least, Harris was not happy. Not with the loss. Not with the Malachi Moore antics and tantrums. Not with the response from the coach to it all.

Not the best weekend for the Alabama program.

“That pisses me off because I’ve got some hardware,” Harris said. “It’s because I was somebody that did it. I was somebody that lived it. Two natties. Three SEC championships. I lived it. I lived by the code. I played the game the right way. I listened. I had somebody there in Nick Saban who put me in a position to be accountable for my performance, good or bad. To handle myself with respect and with class. And we’re just not seeing that. So Alabama, what’s up?”