West Alabama Friday Briefing

Good morning West Alabama. It is Friday, November 29, 2024.

Friday Morning Observations:

Contrary to the opinion of a number of immature, former jocks, national sports talk show hosts; storming the field after a big college football or basketball win is NOT a rite of passage for college students. It is just plain dangerous and costly.

Not only have injuries to fans and players taken place but some have died celebrating where they should not be - on the field. Richard Thomas Rose, 20, a junior from Benton City, Washington died after being struck by the falling goal post after Minnesota-Morris' double overtime win over Crown College in 2005.

When Wisconsin fans tried to run onto the field after the Badgers beat Michigan 25-years ago, 10 people were injured and lost consciousness, some had to receive CPR to survive.

In 1983, Margaret Cimino was seriously injured by a falling goal post while rushing the field after Yale beat Harvard.

In 2004, a Georgia fan rushed onto the basketball court and took a swing at a Florida player after UGA upset the Gators.

On the high school level, an Arizona basketball player scored the winning dunk at the buzzer and suffered a torn carotid artery and had a stroke after being thrown to the floor by the surging mob of celebrants. He remains paralyzed.

Now an 18-year-old Oklahoma fan, a high school student, Holden Moxley is suing Crimson Tide freshman defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. Moxley claims he suffered a concussion from an "unprovoked attack" by the Alabama player after OU upset Alabama last weekend and thousands of Sooner fans stormed the field.

No criminal charges are expected out of the police investigation, but the kid was where he was not supposed to be and now, he wants money for an alleged attack by an opposing team player who was surrounded by taunting fans.

Storming the field/court actually has a name, it is call “SportsCenter Syndrome”. Fans, especially students, see and hear the ESPN show hosts laugh and talk positively about storming and assume it is the thing to do after a big win.

Schools pay heavy fines and spend big bucks to repair damage but do little or nothing to stop the practice because many consider it a reward to loyal fans. Fans don't care how much it costs their school, but they would if Alabama Athletics Director Greg Byrne's idea of the offending team being forced to forfeit the game is ever adopted.

The three road losses by Alabama this year have each sparked field storming on various levels. It is time to find a way to stop it before someone else is seriously injured or worse, gets killed.

(Opinions expressed in Morning Briefing are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the ownership, management and staff of Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa.}

Weather:

Fans headed to tomorrow's Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny need to bundle-up. Temperatures will start out in the chilly lower 50s and drop to near 40 by game's end.

Overall, West Alabama will experience nighttime low temperatures in the 20s this weekend into early next week. Residents need to take precautions to protect, people, pipes and plants.

The Forecast:

Today

Sunny, with a high near 51. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tonight

Clear, with a low around 28. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Saturday

Sunny, with a high near 54. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 29. Calm wind.

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 55. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Sunday Night

Clear, with a low around 27.

Next Week

The days will be sunny and cold while the nights will be clear and cold. Highs from the upper 40s to lower and mid 50s. Nighttime lows will hover at or just below freezing.

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Topping the News:

It is Black Friday and businesses across West Alabama have been preparing for weeks.

Inflation and other financial hardships have been difficult but local businesses who are expecting today and through the weekend to be a big boom as many products have been deeply discounted.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox has urged area residents to shop in local stores instead of sending money out of town with online shopping. In a recent "Mayor's Minute" post Maddox wrote, "I urge you to protect our small businesses by purchasing local."

Experts say prices are actually down from last year, but they encourage comparison shopping to find the best deals.

An overnight two-car collision on the southbound side of the Hugh Thomas Bridge killed one person. The bridge was closed for hours as the Accident Reconstruction Team and Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit investigated.

Northport Police reported the crash on Lurleen Wallace Boulevard over the Black Warrior River happened around 2:45 a.m.

Read More: 1 Dead, 2 Critically Hurt in Friday Wreck in Northport, Bridge Closed for Investigation

Reaction continues with spread of the word of the passing of former University of Alabama football players and Athletics Director Bill Battle.

UA President Stuart Bell noted how Battle was always available when UA needed him.

His close friend Paul Bryant, Jr. noted how Battle, "...excelled in so many areas and was a true visionary.".

UA Athletics Director Greg Byrne called Bill Battle first class in every way. He noted Battle's character and integrity.

Nick Saban wrote that he is grateful for the privilege to have known and worked with Bill Battle and how he was an innovative leader.

Funeral arraignments are pending.

Chick's Fish in downtown Tuscaloosa celebrated another Thanksgiving by handing out free Thanksgiving meals with a donation request for Habitat for Humanity.

Last year 1,900 meals were served. While the accounting continues, it is believed Chuck's benevolence was increased to 2,200 meals.

Holidays are difficult for many people for many different reasons. Mental health issues often become a problem. Some people are grieving over the loss of a relative or friend, others are lonely, still others have emotional distress, and alcohol and drug concerns.

People dealing with these issues that can be exacerbated by the holidays are urged to call the 988 Crisis Hotline to talk to a caring counselor. The call is free and confidential.

Democrat state lawmakers in the house have pre-filed two bills that would impact weapons conversions in the state. House Bills 12 and 26 face an uphill battled in the Republican dominated state legislature.

Conversion kits change a weapon to an automatic, machine gun type weapon and have been used in several mass shootings in Alabama.

A separate bill, HB 51 would apply to Birmingham alone.

Tinsel Trail, a fundraiser for Tuscaloosa's One Place, A Family Resource Center is open, as is the seasonal skating rink. The trail is located in Government Plaza downtown.

There is a display of over 200 decorated Christmas trees. Each tree is sponsored and decorated by a local business, organization, or individual.

Topping Sports News:

Now that everyone has gorged themselves on turkey, dressing and all the trimmings, it is now time to gorge ourselves on holiday college football. There are 14 games on tap today.

Many of the games this weekend are traditional rivalry matchups. The main games to watch in the SEC today are Miss. State at Ole Miss in the "Egg Bowl" this afternoon in Oxford and Georgia Tech at Georgia tonight in Athens.

Tomorrow will be like a five-course meal highlighted by the 2:30pm "Iron Bowl" game with Auburn at Alabama. The No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide are 11.5-point favorites.

Other key rivalry games find South Carolina host cross-state rival Clemson, Kentucky home to Louisville, Tennessee at Vanderbilt, Missouri visiting Arkansas, Florida traveling to Florida State, LSU at Oklahoma and Texas traveling downstate to face Texas A&M.

Tuscaloosa Academy has one more game to win before claiming a spot in the Alabama High School Athletics Association Football Class 2-A Super 7 Finals next week.

The Knights travels to Sulligent in Lamar County tonight. TA enters the game with a stellar 11-2 record while Sulligent is 9-4.

TA defeated Pisgah 44-34 to get to tonight's semi-final game. Sulligent knocked Winston County out of the playoffs with a 38-12 win last Friday.

Click TuscaloosaThread.com for the latest West Alabama news, sports and weather. Better yet, download the app.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend, be safe and ROLL TIDE!!

Source: West Alabama Friday Briefing

Categories: News, Local News