After the Vols big upset of Alabama (49-52) and supporters rushing the field, shocking footage surfaced of receiver Jermaine Burton unprovokingly assaulting a Tennesee fan. This led to Bama head coach Nick Saban assuring the punishment would be handled internally. However, Saban has backtracked his statement and no action has been taken against Burton.
The reason? That Jermaine Burton was supposedly scared. An explanation that has not convinced anyone and received major backlash from fans.
Alabama receiver assaults female fan, receives no punishment
Nick Saban chose not to suspend Burton after the assault
"I don't know how many of you have been in a situation like that. I talked to him. He was scared, I was scared, some of our other players were scared," Saban explained. "I think you learn to respect other people because we have a responsibility to do that, regardless of the circumstance we're in."
Saban continued te defend his decision to not take any measures against Jermaine Burton, who started Saturday's game against the Mississippi Bulldogs: "It's about having the proper respect for other people. I didn't think it was necessary to suspend the guy, so if you knew the whole story, maybe you wouldn't either. But I am not gonna divulge that," he said.
Essentially, Nick Saban decided to not give any concrete details and evade the reporters' questions with very generic phrasing.
The video speaks for itself: there was no provocation
There are multiple videos and angles proving that the female fan that Jermaine Burton struck did not address him in any way. The attack was completely unprovoked and it came off as a random act of aggression after a tough last-minute upset loss.
Users online found it hard to believe that Burton would be scared of that fan in particular. And even if he was scared, that is not reason to assault somebody.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rq3RnJhnm5%2BifKa6jqamq51dqL2wvtOsZmtoYmd8cnyOa2tobmNqgqeFlZ1pa25gZrF2fJCab5tsZWx9b7TTpqM%3D