More On Elder

Could all of this Jeremy Elder mess really be caused by a pellet gun? According to his legal counsel, Josh Swords, that is the case. From Paul Gattis of Al.com:

– Elder received permission from the court to go home to College Park, Ga., to be with his family. Being released on bond requires special permission to leave the state, which was granted Tuesday.

– Swords said it was his understanding that Elder actually had a pellet gun during the incident, not a semi-automatic pistol that was listed in deposition filed Tuesday in Tuscaloosa County district court. (It’s not clear from the deposition if police have the gun in their possession or if that was simply the testimony of the two UA students who were the victims).

– Swords said it was his understanding that Elder had not been in trouble with the law before and that Elder is eligible to file for youthful offender status, which would seal the case file.

– Swords said he has no indication that the incident was a prank or hazing, which squelches a rumor that has been circulating.

– No court date has been set yet.

I doubt this will change any of the charges, considering it was still a “gun” with the intent to rob somebody. Elder should’ve known better, but I hope for him to stay out of jail if possible. He has no previous track record of legal troubles, so maybe it would just be for the best if he gets expelled from UA and goes home to Georgia to get his life back together.

Can Gottfried Turn Our Tide?

It took me hours to think of that title.

Our Crimson Tide basketball team currently sits at 14-12 overall, and 3-8 in SEC play. Even though this is uncharted territory for Gottfried and staff, I still get the feeling that he is capable of pulling off his usual magical turnaround (the Gottfried Rebound). Think about it: the season is a mess, fans are upset, and Gottfried is feeling the heat. Yet, some how…. some way, he always seems to have the ability to rise up like a phoenix from the ashes to win games you weren’t expecting. Could it happen this season? Or, will it have to happen in the 2008-09 season? We’ll have to wait for everything to play out before we know, but my guess would be on next year.

Speaking of next year, it is starting to look like a heck of a year on paper. Steele will be back, Hendrix wants to play with Steele again so he’ll be back, McDonald’s All-American JaMychal Green will be in Tuscaloosa, and Alabama will probably have a somewhat decent bench. If Gottfried can’t win with this amount of talent on the court, then all hope is lost for Mark Gottfried and staff.

Of course, talk of next year could be a total waste of time if we are blown out in the next few games. If that happens, then next year might not matter, because the fans will almost certainly give up on Alabama Basketball. Oh sure, we’ll have some good crowds for the interesting games, but the energy and excitement will fade away forever. That’s an ugly horror only comparable to the Hobbs nightmare.

How horrible that must’ve been

What’s that? You’re wondering if Gottfried will be fired this year? Unless there is just an apocalyptic collapse, I don’t see that happening. Cecil Hurt and others are hinting that Gottfried’s $3 million buyout is just too much to spend on a basketball coach at Alabama in the minds of those in charge, which means Mark gets at least one more year. So just sit tight, enjoy the games we have left, and try to imagine Julio Jones jumping over defenders when we’re down 9 with 2 minutes to go.