Skip to main content
Join
Team Avatar
Alabama

Nick Saban explains decision not to suspend Jermaine Burton following incident with Tennessee fan

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•10/22/22•

griffin_mcveigh

On3 image
Photo courtesy of Alabama Athletics

Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton was in the news this week but for the wrong reasons. A video showed him allegedly hitting a Tennessee fan while they were storming the field after the upset win at Neyland Stadium. Despite the incident, Burton played on Saturday night against Mississippi State.

Head coach Nick Saban explained the decision to play Burton and not suspend him. He said some people on the Alabama team were scared and now, the wide receiver is in a counseling program. Saban thinks if everyone knew the full story, they would agree with his decision to not suspend Burton.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“I don’t know how many of you have ever been in a situation like that,” Saban said. “But, I talked to him. He was scared, I was scared. Some of our other players were scared. I think you learn to respect other people because we have a responsibility to do that, regardless of the circumstance that we’re in. I talked to the guy. We have him in a counseling program.

“It’s not an anger management program as people announced today. Nobody ever said that. That’s not the problem, that’s not the issue. But, it’s about having the proper respect for other people. I didn’t think it was necessary to suspend the guy. If you knew the whole story, maybe you wouldn’t either but I am not going to divulge that.”

CLICK HERE to subscribe to the On3 YouTube channel today for all of the latest news on college football, recruiting, NIL, and more!

Burton was the second-leading receiver for Alabama on Saturday, finishing with 40 yards. Although he only had two receptions, it was a productive day for the former Georgia transfer. While Burton continues to go through some things off the field, the production on the field has not been affected.

Video emerges of Jermaine Burton after Tennessee loss

During the chaos of Tennessee’s 52-49 win over Alabama which snapped a 15-year losing streak and prompted fans to storm the field to celebrate, videos appearing to show on-field interactions between fans and players have surfaced. Allegedly, Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton was part of at least two incidents where TMZ and the alleged victims claim to have been struck by him.

In an alleged incident, a fan taking video from on the field runs past Burton – who is seen more clearly in front of the camera – before the camera turns and shakes momentarily. A fan later posted it with the caption, “Jermaine Burton punching a Tennessee fan after the ‘Bama loss.”