Phillip Fulmer on “The Game”

"It's been a great thing to see college football do what it has done, and Alabama is at the forefront of that right now, and they should be proud of the program and not live in the past."

Those are some strong words coming from the man that many Crimson Tide fans blame for our probation from 2002-2006. This one sentence has the potential to relight a flame in Bama fans that stir up their hate for this man even more so than now. But is this really justifiable?

Fulmer had nothing but compliments and respect when talking about what the Tide have been able to accomplish during Nick Saban's tenure at the Capstone. I mean, this same man was an Alabama fan as a child. Back then, I'm sure the last thought in his head during those years was, "I wonder if I could ever get Alabama on probation at some point in time."

"You've got a great football coach that's doing a great job along with the staff of not only recruiting as well as anyone in the country, but also seeing that their team improves along the way." For all the hate that we think he has for this program, he sure had a lot of nice and respectful things to say about our beloved Tide.

Of course, many fans still won't forget that he was the secret witness that helped convict us and essentially put us on probation for 5 years, but isn't it time to let bygones be bygones? The man was trying to win football games fair and square at the time.

I found it brave that the man would even come on the radio in Tuscaloosa, and even more so to give kudos where they were deserved. So maybe it is time to let go of the past; but let's just start the forgetting this Sunday. It is Tennessee Hate Week by the way.

Listen to the entire interview here.