Nate Oats Receives "Public Reprimand" from SEC for Shoving Player

Nate Oats put his hands on a player. The SEC is taking an ‘eye for an eye’ disciplinary approach by giving the Alabama head coach a soft slap on the wrist.

During the first half of Tuesday night’s game between Alabama and Missouri, a scuffle broke out near the Alabama bench. After the players were untangled by officials and separated, Aidan Shaw stepped in to share another word or two with the Crimson Tide. Oats got in-between the Missouri player and gave him a one-handed push.

It was not a violent shove. Oats looked like he was exaggerating for effect. It’s a bizarre move, one that a coach shouldn’t do. As SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said, you can’t put your hands on players.

“Nate Oats’ actions were unacceptable and violated the expectations for conduct and sportsmanship as established by the membership of the Southeastern Conference,” said Sankey. “Under no circumstances should a coach make intentional contact with a student-athlete on an opposing team.”

That’s all Oats received though. No suspension, just a public slap on the wrist.

Nate Oats pushing players. pic.twitter.com/XiCyTLpbO3

— CHANNEL (@CHANNEL_TN_) January 17, 2024

Oats Apologized for his Actions

After the incident, Alabama ran away with the game at Coleman Coliseum. The 93-75 victory kept the Crimson Tide unscathed in SEC play. Before discussing the Xs and Os behind the win, Oats addressed his shove.

“I’ve known Coach (Dennis) Gates for a long time. I was a high school coach. He was one of the best recruiters in the country,” said Oats. “I have all the respect in the world for the job he’s done as an assistant and a head coach before he got to Missouri, as a head coach here. He had one of the best first years in the SEC since I’ve been here in a long time. So it is no disrespect to him or his program. 

“I apologized to both Coach Gates and Aidan Shaw. Aiden seems like a great kid and it’s an unfortunate situation, but I apologized to both of them.”

Gates was fine with the apology, but he did not appreciate the way officials handled the situation. A technical for Oats felt like an appropriate response.

“If that was players in a huddle with a hand on an opponent, what would take place? It would be an automatic technical foul, right? I thought I saw two referees in the huddle. It wasn’t a technical foul,” said Gates. “But that’s the question I would pose. If it was players making hand contact, what would take place?”

No technical, just an apology and a slap on the wrist for Nate Oats. That’s what happens when you have cultivated a sterling reputation within the college basketball community.

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