Marshall AD Christian Spears on New York Times report involving son: 'We are exploring all legal options'

Marshall Thundering Herd Athletic Director Christian Spears has released an emphatic statement admonishing the New York Times report involving his son Kai Spears, an Alabama Crimson Tide basketball freshman walk-on.

The New York Times previously reported that Kai Spears was also present during the recent fatal shooting that has plagued Alabama’s season. The report in question stated that Kai Spears was inside Brandon Miller’s car the night of the shooting that claimed 25-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris’s life.

In the time since, Alabama has denied the claim, and now Kai Spears’ father Christian Spears is panning the report and the New York Times, stating that they’re exploring “all legal options” moving forward.

“I am just incredibly disappointed in the irresponsible and demonstrably false reporting by the NY Times,” Spears stated, per the press release. “We are exploring all legal options at this time. I will have no further comment, instead deferring to the University of Alabama’s statement on the matter.”

Continuing, the incident previously appeared to only involve the aforementioned Miller and fellow Alabama teammate Jaden Bradley as fully cooperating witnesses with police while they investigated the involvement of former teammate Darius Miles. According to the report from the New York Times, Spears was also present that night in the vehicle when it was struck by gunfire.

As previously mentioned, Alabama athletics released a statement calling the report “inaccurate,” and stating they’ve cooperated with the investigation from the outset.

“Your story is inaccurate,” read Alabama’s statement. “Based on the information we have, there were no current student-athletes present at the scene other than Brandon Miller and Jaden Bradley, who are both fully cooperating witnesses.

“From the outset, UA Athletics has fully cooperated with law enforcement and supported their investigation.”

Alabama denies any involvement of Kai Spears in fatal shooting

Moreover, the report from the New York Times came off the heels of a recent ESPN story that claimed there was a fourth person in the vehicle — an unnamed passenger. While the latest report indicated that the fourth person was Kai Spears, Alabama’s denial seems very clear and to the point that their information was incorrect.

The news is the latest in a series of reports that continue to plague the Crimson Tide as they prepare to play in the NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed. The involvement of Brandon Miller has been one of the most talked about storylines of the season, as fans and rivals alike weigh in on his legal situation.

At times, the drama has continued onto the court with fans shouting at Miller with obscene nicknames — as well as an ill-advised pregame ceremony with Alabama players “patting down” Miller before the game.

On3’s Austin Brezina contributed to this article.