I’m Ashamed To Be An Alabama Fan

That's hard for me to say.

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I've been a fan of the Crimson Tide since moving to Tuscaloosa as a 15-year-old in the late 1980s.

I love the sport. It's the one thing in my life that truly is an escape from the daily grind of life.

Those three hours are what I look forward to every week.

The offseason seems to go on and on and I can't wait for football season to begin.

I am also mentally efficient enough to have perspective and realize that it's a game.

This is not life or death.

Nobody is going to die because my favorite team got beat.

This week I'm embarrassed and ashamed to be an Alabama Crimson Tide fan.

I don't care about Name, Image, and Likeness in this case.

Not every player gets NIL money.

Do we not understand that these players are just kids?

I believe a 21-year-old is still a child.

I'm positive that a 17-year-old is.

This past week, Alabama beat USF 42-16.

We struggled early in the game. In particular our offensive line.

Much of the struggle was due to #75 Wilkin Formby having a very rough night.

Formby, at right tackle, was called for holding a few times and it was not his night.

For complete transparency, let me admit that I know Wilkin's family. I love his amazing family and think Tuscaloosa is a better place because of families like the Formby family.

My beliefs here really don't have much to do with that fact.

Yes, I think he is an amazing young man. So are many other young men playing college football.

However, the amount of vile, cruel, twisted, heartless, brutal, inhumane, hateful, merciless, callous, evil, brainless, foolish, ignorant, and imbecilic posts on social media from "Alabama fans" was just plain wrong.

I considered including some of the awful comments here in this story. But, I don't want to give them any more chances to impact this young man.

This is not just about Wilkin Formby.

I've seen this over and over again with student athletes all over America.

Multiple posts telling the player that they should just end their life because they "suck so bad".

End their 17, 18 year old life over a damn game??????????????

REALLY?

You can't fix stupid.

Another thing I've learned in my 50 years on this planet.

These are just kids playing a game they love at the end of the day.

Do think they care about how they perform LESS than you, the fan?

A bad game can destroy a young person.

The last thing they (and their family) need is a bunch of dumb rednecks saying awful things online.

This last week wasn't just a few people and a few comments.

It was insane to see the amount of pure evil being typed online after Saturday evening.

Do we want to be represented in this way?

I want the Alabama Crimson Tide fans to be known for being a first-class, best-of-the-best fanbase.

Nobody is a bigger fan than I am. Sorry, but it's a fact. I'm as big of a fan as you or anyone else that has cheered for the Crimson Tide.

Yet, I would NEVER go online and spew this crap.

I'm angry. If you are offended, well, I don't really care.

This has to stop. If we won't control ourselves then it is time for Big Tech to ban this type of content.

Tuscaloosa is my home and Alabama has always been my team.

I am so embarrassed, angry, and disgusted at "our" behavior this week.

How could you ever type the words, directed at a kid, to go harm him or herself?

It's happened so many times in our sport.

It makes us all look really bad.

We've got to be better than this.

Wilkin is a 4-star recruit that Nick Saban recruited and offered a scholarship.

I'm willing to bet that Saban knows more than any of the knuckleheads online this week.

Mark my words, Wilkin Formby will bounce back and one day will be a first-round draft pick in the NFL.

I hope some of the fools who shot their mouths/fingers off are watching ESPN that night.

Because Wilkin will get the last laugh.