Nick Saban had a chance to comment for the first time Friday about his former player Malachi Moore’s outburst late against Vanderbilt.
Saban joined “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday for an appearance from Eugene, Oregon, and was asked about Moore’s actions late in the game against the Commodores; Saban coached Moore for four seasons.
“Malachi Moore is a great young man,” Saban said. “He’s going to be very successful in life. This was totally uncharacteristic for him. I think this is an example of when you get frustrated and you get emotional, you make bad choices and decisions and do things you normally wouldn’t do from a character standpoint. I think that was obviously what happened. I know he was very sorry for the way he represented himself, his family, his team, the university and all that. The thing about it is, you can’t take those things back.”
Moore has since apologized for his actions publicly as well as reaching out to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. In the final minutes of the game, Moore shoved Pavia after a hit. In other moments, Moore also chucked his mouth piece, kicked the football and appeared to refuse to leave the game when the coaching staff tried to sub in Bray Hubbard for him.
“I simply want to apologize again to my family and teammates,” Moore said after practice Tuesday. “The way I acted out of frustration, we put in some much labor throughout the summer time. I glance across to my teammates. When I see D-Law, I remember all the moments we have spent running gassers outside. I look at men like Que Robinson and Tim Smith (Jah-Marien Latham), who have worked so hard for the past five years. I was annoyed that we did not perform to our usual level when we were out there, but I accept full responsibility for that. allowing my behavior to overcome me. It will not occur once more.
Next up, South Carolina takes on No. 7 Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m. on ABC. Coach Kalen DeBoer has stated that Moore will not be suspended for the contest.
DeBoer remarked, “He has had my back and ours since day one.” “At times, when things unfold, you have to stick by your man and acknowledge that mistakes are inevitable and that we must all take responsibility for them.”
