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Al.com

Friday, November 29, 2019

A look at construction beginning on Bryant

Denny Stadium renovation

By: Michael Casagrande

The helmets are gone and hardhats have arrived.

Following Alabama's home finale Saturday, the construction crews moved into Bryant-Denny Stadium for a complex renovation of the 90-year old stadium. Fences went up Monday as the north end zone offices were cleared out along with club levels on the west side.

Crews have until next September to reshape portions of Alabama's home football stadium into a more revenue-producing venue. A temporary construction office was driven onto the lawn north of the stadium to coordinate the project.

Among the first steps was removing the last four plaques on the Walk of Champions bricking. The new tunnel into the locker room will force the respacing of each championship commemoration on the walk since there will be less room between the curb and the entrance.

The project, which will have as many as 600 workers on site at the peak of construction, must be complete by the Sept. 12 home opener with Georgia State.

The neighborhood surrounding the stadium is choked with construction workers on a number of project. Across Wallace Wade, a condo building remains in progress while a foundation is being poured down the street on another massive apartment building.

Portions of Wallace Wade will be closed during the Bryant-Denny Stadium project with various side streets narrowed due to other construction.

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The Tuscaloosa News

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Sculpture's dedication part of Tuscaloosa

bicentennial celebration

By: Ken Roberts

She's 30 feet tall, she weighs more than 9,500 pounds and she's almost ready for her debut.

Workers have been busy preparing the site along Tuscaloosa's riverfront for a sculpture depicting Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and strategy.

The Minerva sculpture, along with a timeline of key dates in Tuscaloosa's history and a time capsule, will be dedicated at 10 a.m. Friday at the Park at Manderson Landing.

The dedication, part of Tuscaloosa's yearlong bicentennial celebration, is free and open to the public.

"I hope each viewer will have a unique experience and see the sculpture as a symbol of progress through reflection, not only of our past but present and what we can do in the future," said Caleb O'Connor, a local artist who created the Minerva sculpture. "The base of the sculpture is reflective so people can see themselves in the piece."

The creation of the landmarks is meant to celebrate the city's past, present and future on Tuscaloosa's 200th birthday.

Caleb O'Connor and Craig Wedderspoon, who is also a local artist, have collaborated for two years on the sculpture and timeline. While O'Connor focused on the sculpture and Wedderspoon concentrated on the timeline.

The two elements are gifts to the residents of Tuscaloosa from the University of Alabama, with the sculpture being entirely funded from an endowed fund established by an anonymous donor.

Bicentennial events

10 a.m. Friday: Dedication of Minerva sculpture, timeline and time capsule at the Park at Manderson Landing

6:30 p.m. Friday: The 44th annual West Alabama Christmas Parade will be in downtown Tuscaloosa. The Christmas tree lighting ceremony will be at 5:15 p.m. in front of the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse on Greensboro A venue.

Minerva is also depicted in UA's official seal.

O'Connor produced the Minerva model in his downtown Tuscaloosa studio and the full-scale sculpture was cast in Italy.

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The Tuscaloosa News


Wedderspoon led the design and production of the bicentennial timeline, which will run 110 feet along Manderson Landing and lead to the Minerva sculpture. The timeline depicts the Black Warrior River with key dates in Tuscaloosa's history etched in the concrete.

"Everything came down to the river for me because we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the river," said Wedderspoon, a professor of sculpture at UA. "When you look back at Tuscaloosa's history, early settlers followed Native American trails that led to this area because it's where you could cross the river. The Black Warrior River has also played a tremendous role in transportation and the economy."

Friday's ceremony will include the burial of a time capsule with items representing everyday life in 2019. Items in the time capsule represents 12 themes, which include arts and entertainment, sports and athletics, infrastructure, education; and civil rights and diversity.

"We didn't want to create a 'chamber of commerce' collection of objects," said Bill Bomar, chairman of the Tuscaloosa Bicentennial Commission's time capsule committee. "It's going to be an honest representation that has an underlying message that the community is happy with Tuscaloosa, and while there are areas that need improvement, we've certainly come a long way in 200 years."

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Yellowhammernews.com

Thursday, December 12, 2019

University of Alabama School of Social Work

receives $3.2M grant to address opioid crisis

By: Kyle Morris

The University of Alabama's School of Social Work, which oversees a trio of state-focused behavioral health projects, has been given a $3.2 million grant to address the Yellowhammer state's opioid crisis.

The four-year project, dubbed "Project FREEDOM: First Responder Expansion of Education and Distribution of Overdose Medication," will focus on first responders take place throughout the following counties: Blount, Cullman, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Lawrence, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, St. Clair, Shelby, Walker, Winston, Jefferson and Tuscaloosa. The project will be funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

"Alabama's first responders have a critical role in the battle against the opioid overdose epidemic," said Dr. David L. Albright, UA's Hill Crest Foundation Endowed Chair in Mental Health Research and Vital primary investigator.

He added, "In this project, we will work to support our first responders by studying burnout, fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress among emergency medical service workers and municipality and volunteer fire personnel, and develop outreach and training related to the experiences of our first responders, including learning communities on opioid overdose within the 16-county area."

According to a press release, "first responders will receive training and education on opioid overdoses and reversal, opioid safety and occupational hazards related to opioid exposure." The project is also set to provide education to the "general public about opioid safety and the Good Samaritan Law."

"In addition to first responders, the project will have a focus on healthcare provider training related to opioid overdose dangers, overdose surveillance data in their county, and treatment and recovery options for their patient population," said Shanna McIntosh, UA Vital project director.

She added, "It is important for Alabamians to understand the dangers of exposure overdose, proper use and disposal of prescribed opioids, and the Good Samaritan Law, which is in place to encourage bystanders to take action when someone is in need. A targeted media campaign will run statewide, and community education forums will be held in the 16-county area. Community trainings will cover the dangers of high toxicity opioids, opioid prescription safety and Mental Health First Aid."

Project FREEDOM is the third state-focused project the Vital Team is overseeing. The Vital Team recently began work on a state-funded project to reduce infant mortality rates in Alabama. Federal health authorities have reported there were more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths in 2017, for a rate of 21. 7 per 100,000 people. The state of Alabama had more than 5,100 overdoses from 2006 through 2014.

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The Tuscaloosa News

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

UA communications chief leaving for new post

By: Ken Roberts The University of Alabama's vice president for strategic communications is leaving for a job at Abilene Christian University in Texas, according to an email from UA President Stuart Bell.

Linda Bonnin, who came to UA from LSU in 2015, is credited with spearheading UA's "Where Legends Are Made" campaign.

She will leave UA on Jan. 31 to become senior vice president of marketing and strategic communications at Abilene Christian University.

"It has been an honor to serve at Alabama, and the opportunities it has afforded me have been invaluable," she said. "I'm ready for a new challenge at this point in my career. ACU's mission and my personal goals are in alignment, and I look forward to helping ACU raise its national profile."

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The Tuscaloosa News Friday, December 13, 2019

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UA receives grant to address state’s opioid overdoses By: Ken Roberts A new effort to curb opioid abuse in Alabama will focus on improving the training rural first-responders receive for treating overdoses, according to a news release from the University of Alabama School of Social Work.

The school’s Vital Team, which oversees a trio of state-focused behavioral health projects, will soon begin work on “Project Freedom: First Responder Expansion of Education and Distribution of Overdose Medication.”

“Alabama’s first responders have a critical role in the battle against the opioid overdose epidemic,” said David L. Albright, the Vital Team’s primary investigator, in the news release.

The goal of the four-year, $3.2 million project is to reduce opioid overdose deaths in rural Alabama by training first-responders in the treatment of overdoses.

The training will focus on the the administration of Narcan, an emergency drug used to treat opioid overdoses. First-responders will also be educated about the occupational hazards related to opioid exposure.

“In this project, we will work to support our first-responders by studying burnout, fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress among emergency medical service workers and municipality and volunteer fire personnel, and develop outreach and training related to the experiences of our first-responders, including learning communities on opioid overdose within the 16-county area,” Albright said,

The project will focus on 14 rural counties – Blount, Cullman, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Lawrence, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, St. Clair, Shelby, Walker and Winston – and two urban counties – Tuscaloosa and Jefferson.

All 16 counties have a combination of high opioid overdose rates and low resources, according to the news release.

Alabama’s number of opioid overdose deaths more than doubled from 2012 to 2017, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In 2017, Alabama recorded 422 opioid overdose deaths.The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is funding Project Freedom.

“In addition to first-responders, the project will have a focus on health-care provider training related to opioid overdose dangers, overdose surveillance data in their county, and treatment and recovery options for their patient population,” said Shanna McIntosh, UA Vital Team’s project director.

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Project Freedom will also include also efforts to educate the public, McIntosh said.

“It is important for Alabamians to understand the dangers of exposure overdose, proper use and disposal of prescribed opioids, and the Good Samaritan Law, which is in place to encourage bystanders to take action when someone is in need,” McIntosh said. “A targeted media campaign will run statewide, and community education forums will be held in the 16-county area. Community trainings will cover the dangers of high toxicity opioids, opioid prescription safety and mental health first aid.”

Justin McDaniel, an assistant professor of public health at Southern Illinois University and the project’s co-investigator and lead evaluator, will create geographic “heat maps” of opioid overdoses and predictive models that will help target efforts at the neighborhood level.

Project Freedom is the third state-focused project the Vital Team is overseeing. The Vital Team recently began work on a state-funded project to reduce infant mortality rates in Alabama. Vital is also in its fourth year of a contract to integrate mental health care and alcohol and drug screenings into primary care settings.

“Vital is committed to improving wellness in Alabama through engagement, collaboration, research and education. We remain thankful for the opportunity to serve Alabama,” Albright said.

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Al.com Friday, December 13, 2019

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1917 Clinic surges into a fourth decade fighting HIV By: Ivana Hrynkiw News coverage may have stopped and national uproar may have slowed, but, the fight for HIV patients goes on.

The virus is more easily controlled now, after drugs transformed the fight against the disease since the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s 1917 Clinic --the biggest HIV health care unit in Alabama--provides comprehensive care to people living with HIV. 1917 is busier than ever, treating thousands yearly with dozens of services, and is preparing for a move next year into a larger space, where they can continue to treat more patients and provide timely, comprehensive care to those who need it most.

The move to Birmingham’s Lakeview community will be the clinic’s third official home, coming over 30 years after the clinic’s founding in 1988. In those three decades since The 1917 Clinic opened its doors, its both saved lives and become a nationally recognized facility.

“It’s changed, but what’s really special is its root mission is still the same,” said 1917 Clinic founder Dr. Michael Saag.

A safe haven

The HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s was delayed getting to Alabama, Saag said. People who lived across the country got infected and waited until they were extremely sick to come back to their hometowns in Alabama to be with their families. “As if overnight, we were facing our own AIDS onslaught,” Saag writes in his book “Positive.” He continues, “From New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, and elsewhere, people with AIDS-related illnesses were returning home to die…” When they got here, they looked to Birmingham for help; but, the Magic City didn’t have many options.

The 1917 Clinic, named for its original address, was founded in January 1988, after Saag was inspired by a visit to San Francisco General Hospital’s AIDS outpatient clinic in 1986. He came home from that trip in awe, with a journal full of notes of how doctors at SFGH said they would design an HIV clinic from scratch.

When the epidemic hit Alabama, Saag—then a second-year fellow in infectious diseases— worked around the clock to treat HIV patients that needed blood transfusions or IV medication at all hours. He and then- head nurse of the UAB emergency department and trauma center Jim Raper worked to make sure every patient was treated to the best of their ability, even though there was no designated space and no specific staff to help. “We knew we had to have a more formal response… as more and more patients started showing up,” Saag said.

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In 1987, Saag used his notes from that San Francisco trip and formed the idea of an outpatient HIV/AIDS clinic at UAB. “Without brandishing the words ‘moral imperative,’ I made it clear that I believed this was a state university’s duty,” Saag writes, “UAB couldn’t run away from AIDS. We needed to get out front, quickly, so we would be ready when it arrived in full force.” The clinic would be five-fold, revolving around patient care, social services support, medical provider education, community outreach, and research. Saag also wanted two key things: To study every patient by creating a database with patient’s data to follow over time, and to create a repository to preserve blood samples—he knew many of the clinic’s patients would die before physicians and researchers understood HIV/AIDS fully, and he wanted to be able to continuously research and be able to apply what he learned from one patient to another’s treatment. Saag presented the idea to then-Chair of Medicine J. Claude Bennett. Bennett quickly approved the idea and promised to bring on Saag as faculty, provide clinic space and a small staff for the outpatient clinic. “A state-sponsored university in Birmingham, Alabama—this city not long removed from turning dogs on protesters—would create a clinic for the AIDS patients just launching their own civil rights crusade,” Saag writes. And the 1917 Clinic was born. A personal connection Raper started officially working with the clinic as administrative director in 1995, helping treat 650 or 700 patients. “In those days we only had three medications to treat patients with. Everybody was going to die… it was just a matter of time," he said. Now, Raper said, there are 27 or 28 medications to work with and the clinic sees over 3,600 patients, including eight to 10 new patients every week. “Scientifically, the care of people living with HIV, the prognosis, is so much better… now we just have to work to keep people from getting infected and keep our patients healthy.” Raper was named the first non-physician director of a clinic at UAB in 2007. He was equally passionate about the clinic’s mission as Saag. Raper said he was working as a second lieutenant in the US Army Nurse Corps in 1982 when he saw a report on television about a gay-related immunodeficiency disorder and gay men showing up deathly ill across the nation. The disease hit home soon. Raper’s partner was diagnosed with HIV and later died, prompting Raper’s passion for finding a cure. “After he died, I knew I wanted to be involved, to work in some way,” Raper said. “Part of my interest (in working with HIV patients) was HIV was affecting my community and my life and it had caused the death of my partner. So it was a special thing for me.”

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“A lot of people who were drawn, and are drawn, to this work is because of a personal connection… they choose to do this because of their personal commitment to people living with HIV, or people underserved, or people who don’t have access to healthcare.” A mission of acceptance and science

Saag never questioned the purpose of the 1917 Clinic. “Despite Birmingham not being at the epicenter of the epidemic, we were going to be number one in AIDS research,” he said.

When it opened, the 1917 Clinic operated as both a medical clinic and a place of acceptance where patients were respected and come without fear of judgement. The clinic had “hosts” to make families and patients feel more comfortable and guide them to the right resources. Saag said the goal was to make the clinic feel accepting and to “demystify the disease.” He said, “Everyone is scared to death and they’re feeling stigmatized, too. How do we make them feel warm and welcome?”

Part of that demystify mission was in the name—to keep the anonymity of where patients were walking into or where they were being dropped off. The original clinic was located at 1917 5th Avenue South, creating the neutral name. Saag also said he wanted the facility to be safe and not flooded with protesters. “I was worried about emotional attacks,” he said. “Can you imagine walking through that?”

The other part was to take away the stigma from HIV and to spread a message of compassion, Saag said. He scheduled talks across the state at various clubs and hospitals and made a point to talk to the media about the science of HIV/AIDS and to break down rumors surrounding the disease.

“The stigma related to HIV is still the No. 1 obstacle, the number one challenge to any person diagnosed with HIV, living with HUV, to overcome,” Raper said. “Much of that stigma is self-imposed… it takes a really strong person who is well-adjusted to come out with it and get treatment. To say, ‘I’m not a bad person because of this.’”

While Saag said the clinic practiced comfort care and “handholding” in its early days, by the early 1990s the 1917 Clinic was the first place to receive new drugs and participate in clinical trials. The frozen specimens the clinic had kept from patients allowed Saag to conduct more intensive research, and to see what worked and what didn’t. That research set the stage for drug developments, and that’s why the 1917 Clinic patients were the first to see them: UAB has been among the first clinical trial locations for almost every new discovery in the treatment of HIV under Saag’s leadership, Raper said.

“The reality is it always allows us to be in the forefront of HIV treatment,” Raper said about those clinical trial options, which were available to 1917 patients years before the medications were licensed by the FDA.

“We had technology no one else had,” Saag said. “That’s why they sent (medicine) to UAB. We could tell if the drugs worked.”

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They were keeping people alive a little bit longer, which was a success worth celebrating.

“We had time to think,” Saag said, noting places like San Francisco only had time to react.

Today’s fight against HIV/AIDS

The new location will be 1917’s third official location, and largest. It will be located in the Dewberry Building, at 3201 4th Ave. South in Birmingham’s Lakeview district. The clinic is to move in late 2020 or by early 2021

The new building will give the 1917 Clinic approximately 50,600 feet, which is triple the current clinic size in it’s 20th Street South space. “The new space will bring 31 years of work into the next generation,” Raper said.

The clinic treats patients living with HIV from their initial infection throughout their lives, Raper said. They treat the disease and provide primary and comprehensive healthcare, offering specialty clinics for on-site care in dental, dermatology, chronic pain management, nephrology, neurology, psychiatry, endocrinology, and more. The clinic also offers women’s services, Raper said, because 23 percent of their patients are female.

“Patients know that they can get almost anything for their health available under one roof. They don’t have to feel embarrassed,” Raper said. “They know that all of us who are here (working at 1917) want to be here, we choose to be here. They don’t have to feel obliged to tell anyone their HIV status, they don’t have to be embarrassed, or anything like that. Having all the services under one roof is tremendous.”

A pharmacy is a proposed aspect of the new clinic, along with an activity space, and resource center, and a teaching kitchen. There are 26 new exam rooms planned. “It’s going to make a huge difference for us and for the patients that we take care of,” Raper said.

The location of the clinic was chosen purposefully—it is located on a major transportation route and has plenty of parking, and isn’t far from other UAB entities on campus. While most of the building will house the 1917 Clinic, Birmingham AIDS Outreach will also move in and will continue to work as a community partner—one of many local organizations 1917 works with.

Today, the NIH-funded 1917 Clinic has a staff of more than 150 people and has treated more than 12,000 patients living with HIV, according to information from UAB. The 1917 Clinic has also received HRSA Ryan White Early Intervention Service funding since 1997 and receives more than any other clinic in the country, and has also received federal funding to implement HIV care into other practices.

But HIV/AIDS is still an epidemic, both men said. The number of new cases of HIV transmitted in the U.S. today is similar to rates of transmission two decades ago, Saag noted.

And, there is still a stigma. Raper said it’s important to note that if someone living with HIV is taking medication and controlling the virus, they can’t pass it on. “People need to quit worrying

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about that, but it’s easier said than done,” he said. “People who don’t have HIV are tremendously afraid of it. The fear is sometimes irrational, but it’s still fear. And it leads to stigma. That’s one of our greatest challenges, to break down these knowledge barriers. The more people know, the more people will be able to accept the science that undetectable means untransmittable.”

Saag agreed. “HIV is really pretty straightforward,” Saag said. “It doesn’t care if you’re white or black, if you’re gay or straight… no one is any different than you in terms of getting HIV.”

And if you’re lucky enough to not have the disease or know someone who does?

“At least have compassion for those who do," Saag said.

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The Tuscaloosa News


UA researchers test tech to monitor eating habits

By: Ken Roberts University of Alabama researchers are testing wearable technology that will monitor what users eat and how fast they eat it.

University of Alabama researchers are involved in the study of a wearable device designed to monitor the user's eating habits, with an eye toward fighting obesity.

The Automatic Ingestion Monitor, which was developed in a UA lab, is clipped to prescription or nonprescription eyeglasses. The monitor includes a tiny high-definition camera that photographs food and sensors that measure how quickly the wearer eats.

"Changing eating behavior enough to achieve and maintain long-term weight loss is elusive," said Edward Sazonov, a UA professor of electrical and computer engineering. "We're seeking to determine if a device that adapts to your individual eating habits can change that."

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a consortium of researchers, led by Sazonov and UA, a $2.5 million grant to evaluate the Automatic Ingestion Monitor.

The grant, administered through the NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, enables the researchers to test the device in a clinical trial over four years.

The effort also involves researchers at Brown University, Boston University and the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus.

"The hope is that this technology will give people a new, less burdensome way to monitor and take control of their eating," said Graham Thomas, a behavioral scientist who serves as associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown and is a co-principal investigator on the project.

The device could help in the fight against obesity in the U.S. According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight or obese. Alabama has the fifth-highest adult obesity rate in the nation, and the sixth-highest obesity rate for youth ages 10 to 17, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.

While plenty of other studies have focused on measuring food intake, Sazonov said the Automatic Ingestion Monitor will provide a more complete picture of the wearer's eating habits.

"The way you eat is as important as what you eat," Sazonov said. "We are also looking at the rates of ingestion. We want to slow down and be more mindful about our eating.

"Every person is different in when they eat, what they eat, how much they eat and how long they eat. We use machine learning to create a model of these individual eating patterns. After we learn

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The Tuscaloosa News


the individual eating patterns, we see how it can be manipulated by suggesting small changes to reduce the total amount of energy consumed."

During the clinical trial, the device's built-in computer will communicate with the wearer's smartphone and trigger the phone to send messages suggesting modifications to the wearer's eating behaviors.

Work by other researchers has shown that tracking what you eat by hand is one of the most powerful strategies for weight control, but it can be burdensome and prone to errors.

Electronic fitness trackers have proven popular, so for those open to wearing a high-tech method to help in modifying their behaviors, the device could prove effective, Sazonov said.

"The key to this particular technology is to learn individual eating behaviors and then attempt to provide personalized feedback to modify those behaviors," Sazonov said.

Other researchers participating in the project include UA's Chris Crawford and Jason Parton, along with nutritionists Megan McCrory of Boston University and Janine Higgins of the University of Colorado.

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The Tuscaloosa News

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Attorneys honored for work that freed

woman

By: Jason Morton

In October, the only woman in the Alabama prison system serving a life sentence for a drug

crime walked free.

And on Sunday, the legal team that won 72-year-old Geneva Cooley that victory was honored for

their work in getting her released from the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka after

17 years behind bars.

Tuscaloosa-based defense attorney Joel Sogol, along with Courtney Cross, director of the

University of Alabama Law School's Domestic Violence Clinic, and Terrika Shaw, staff attorney

for the Law School's Elder Clinic, were each presented the "Community Champion Award" by

the A New Way of Life Reentry Project in Los Angeles.

"They were a good inspiration to me, and they worked diligently to help me get out," Cooley

said of her legal advocates moments after her release, according the UA School of Law. "And I

thank them."

The legal team was honored during the A New Way of Life Reentry Project's 21st annual gala,

which included presentations from actors Anne Archer, Chike Okonkwo and Natalie Portman.

Geneva Cooley legal team honored

"It just seemed like the right thing to do," Sogol said of his pro bono work on Cooley's case. "I

looked at the situation and just figured that that sentence was so out of line."

Cooley, a New York City native, was sentenced to life without parole for drug trafficking after

she was caught traveling from New York to Birmingham in 2002 to pick up heroin and pain pills

for delivery to someone she thought was a friend.

While in Tutwiler Prison, Cooley met Susan Burton, who founded A New Way of Life Reentry

Project in 1998, after years of drug abuse triggered by the death of a child led her in and out of

prison six times.

The organization provides a number of resources, including housing, case management,

employment and legal services, to women working to rebuild their lives after incarceration.

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Upon hearing Cooley's story, Burton began making phone calls on her behalf. Those calls

eventually made their way to attorneys Cross and Shaw at the University of Alabama's Law

School, as well as recent UA Law School graduates and former Domestic Violence Clinic

students Kari Todd and Jilisa Milton.

"Meeting a then 71-year-old woman in prison who was resigned to the fact that she was court

ordered to die there, thousands of miles away from home and family, was more than we could

bear," Cross said. "It was seeming pretty bleak, but the letters Kari and I were collecting from

friends and family confirmed that we had to keep trying."

But their backgrounds weren't in criminal law, so they turned to Sogol, who has spent a career in

criminal defense and serves as a trial advocacy adjunct professor for the Law School.

In the years since Cooley's conviction, Alabama law has changed regarding life sentences for

drug and non-violent cases.

Based on that and the election of Danny Carr, who ran on a message of rational sentencing, as

Jefferson County District Attorney, the legal team went to work.

Using the approach that not only did Cooley's sentence run counter to current law, the team also

argued that Cooley's lifetime incarceration was in violation of her rights under the U.S.

Constitution's Eighth Amendment, which protects from cruel and unusual punishments.

A judge agreed to change the sentence to allow for the possibility of parole as long as Carr did

not object. After meeting with Cooley's attorneys, the new district attorney supported the

request.

"He agreed that that sentencing was really out of line," Sogol said, "and all of this stuff kind of

fell into place."

This summer, a Jefferson County judge altered Cooley's sentence and, on Aug. 8, the Alabama

Board of Pardons and Paroles granted parole to Cooley.

Two months later, she walked out of prison.

Cooley is currently living in transitional housing in Montgomery until her parole can be

transferred to New York.

"And that," Sogol said, "will pretty much be the end of this saga."

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The Tuscaloosa News


Belichick-Saban documentary airs Tuesday

By: Edwin Stanton

If you think you're going to get a candid look at the personal lives of Nick Saban and Bill Belichick in the new HBO documentary that premieres tonight, forget it.

Even when the two coaching icons are left alone to visit and catch up with each other the topic of conversation is football.

In the opening scene in the documentary from HBO Sports and NFL Films, 'Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching,' the camera crew is in Saban's office. Belichick asks the camera crew to leave so the two can just sit down and have a conversation.

One camera remained turned on and captured the sit-down. The chat isn't about family, politics or even personal.

It's all about football.

It's a powerful moment that gives viewers insight on how both of these coaches are the best at what they do. They have met once a year for the past 40 years to discuss the game and share ideas.

The documentary airs 8 p.m. on HBO.

Football is what drives these two men, and the movie tries to capture the similarities between the two, who share similar childhood backgrounds, heritage and coaching philosophy.

"Because of social media they are getting a lot of their positive self-gratification by the communication they have without looking somebody in the eye and without developing a relationship with them," said Saban during an exchange with Belichick in the film. "That's a critical part they all need to have to develop and you need to have to have a team."

Responded Belichick, "No question. Who cares how many likes you get from 2,000 people you don't even know. The 53 guys in the locker room, those are the 53 are the guys that matter. I don't know if that always gets through or not, but we keep pounding away and keep trying."

Belichick and Saban met in 1982 in Annapolis, Maryland, home of the United States Naval Academy, where Saban served as an assistant coach alongside Bill's father, Steve Belichick. Their first encounter sparked one of football's most powerful friendships. In 1991, Belichick was named head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and shortly thereafter he hired Saban to command his defense. Under their tutelage, the Browns produced one of the NFL's most formidable units. Their early success foreshadowed more than two decades of dominance. Since then, Belichick has led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl victories, while Saban has amassed six national championships.

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The Tuscaloosa News


Friendship, competitive nature shines

through in Saban-Belichick documentary

By: Brett Hudson

January 3, 2007 is a memorable day for Bill Belichick- and not because it came just a few days

after his New England Patriots completed a 16-0 regular season.

"One of the best days of my coaching career was the day you took the Alabama job," Belichick

told University of Alabama coach Nick Saban.

"I'm not sure I believe that," Saban replied.

The respect the UA coach and New England Patriots coach have for one another was on full

display in the HBO special, "Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching," a 75-minute show HBO

unveiled Tuesday night. The documentary started with Saban and Belichick at Alabama's most

recent Pro Day, discussing the players on hand and the nuances of Saban' s inside linebacker

play.

Through taped conversations between the two, individual interviews with the coaches and others,

the piece tells the story of how both Saban and Belichick got their starts in coaching, how they

first met on a coaching staff at Navy and how they both benefited from Saban's time as

Belichick's defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.

"I watch what they do and study their scheme because if it's good enough for Nick, it's probably

good enough for me," Belichick said.

Saban said his time coaching in the NFL was particularly good for him in learning how to adapt

his coaching styles to different kinds of players, which was ultimately useful to him on the

college level.

"As soon as the owner pays them, they're gonna play," Saban said.

Much of the documentary focused on the Saban and Belichick approach to coaching in terms of

organizational leadership, with insight from others: Georgia coach Kirby Smart; Dallas Cowboys

coach Jason Garrett; former NFL leadership Ozzie Newsome, Mike Lombardi and Phil Savage;

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The Tuscaloosa News


Saban's family, wife Terry and children, Nicholas Saban and Kristen Saban Setas; Belichick's

children Stephen, Brian and Amanda; and Belichick's girlfriend, Linda Holliday.

"Human nature is more survival than it is to be special good," Saban said. Belichick said he

learned that from Saban.

The coaches discussed their distaste of the NFL Combine, how they react to losing, dealing with

social media and the technology in the coaching industry developing coaches differently now

than it did when they were working their way up.

Smart's appearance in the piece came as it discussed Saban's decision to replace Jalen Hurts

with Tua Tagovailoa in the 2017 national championship game, but it also comes after Saban and

Belichick vent to one another on something former assistants - as Smart is - do.

Saban said he has a tough time with assistants coming to Alabama to improve themselves as

coaches then getting bigger opportunities off of that improvement, just to tum around and take

Alabama's people from it. Smart and Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt did this to UA.

As Belichick put it, "I'm happy for them, but I want to see them build their own program."

20

The Tuscaloosa News


Alabama had highest paid coaching staff

By: Edwin Stanton

Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is the seventh highest paid college football assistant and the Crimson Tide staff is the highest paid overall according to USA Today's annual listing of salaries.

Sarkisian earns $1,550,000 as a base salary with $133,000 in max bonuses. As a staff, Alabama assistants earn $7,541,277. Clemson's assistants earn a collective $7,410,000.

LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda is the nation's highest paid assistant at $2,500,000 and Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables is the second highest at $2,201,500. Texas A&M's Mike Elko is No. 3 at $2,100,000, Auburn's Kevin Steele is fourth at $$1,900,500 and Florida's Todd Grantham is No. 5 with a salary of $1,801,500.

Alabama's Nick Saban is the second-highest paid coach behind Clemson's Dabo Swinney ($9,315,600). Alabama paid Saban $8,857,000 for the 2019 season, which was $457,000 more than last season.

According to USA Today, Saban's salary included an $800,000 retention payment. Also, school pay does not include value of housing Saban is receiving subsequent to purchase of his home by the Crimson Tide Foundation in 2013. Because Saban remained head coach through the 2019 season the university also agreed to pay $100,000 to his family charity, the Nick's Kids Foundation, or another charitable organization that he may designate after conferring with university.

Alabama's Scott Cochran is the fifth highest paid strength coach with a salary of $595,000. Iowa's Chris Doyle is No. 1 at $800,200.

Here is the breakdown of Alabama's assistant salaries: Sarkisian ($1.550,000), defensive coordinator Pete Golding ($1,100,000), safties coach Charles Kelly ($800,000), defensive line coach Brian Baker ($750,000), offensive line coach Kyle Flood ($650,000), outside linebackers coach Sal Sunseri ($650,000), special teams/ tight ends coach Jeff Banks ($541,277), running backs coach Charles Huff ($525,000), defensive backs coach Karl Scott ($525,000), and receivers coach Holmon Wiggins ($450,000).

21

Alcom


Alabama has nation's highest paid football

coaching staff


The annual USA Today survey of college football assistant pay is out and Alabama is No. 1.

The 10-man staff under Nick Saban make a combined $7,541,277 to nose out Clemson ($7.4 million) and Ohio State ($7 .2 million).

LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda remains the nation's highest paid assistant at $2.5 million in total pay, according to USA Today's research.

Alabama has three of the top 48 assistant-coaching salaries led by No. 7 Steve Sarkisian's $1.55 million. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding also tops seven figures with a $1.1 million salary.

Nick Saban is the second highest-paid head coach at $8.9 million behind only Dabo Swinney's $9.3 million salary, according to USA Today's research.

The Alabama salaries and rankings among nationwide FBS assistant coaches:

7. Steve Sarkisian $1.55 million

15. Pete Golding $1.1 million

48. Charles Kelly $800,000

60. Brian Baker $750,000

83. Kyle Flood $650,000

86. Sal Sunseri $650,000

132. Jeff Banks $541,277

134. Charles Huff $525,000

138. Karl Scott $525,000

203. Holmon Wiggins $450,000

22

The Tuscaloosa News


Alabama football captains named at awards

banquet

From combined reports

The University of Alabama football team held its 2019 awards banquet Sunday evening at the Birmingham Sheraton. In the presentation, UA head coach Nick Saban recapped the 2019 season and stated the goals for the upcoming matchup against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2020.

"We need to use the bowl game to prepare the right way and set the tone for next season," Saban said.

The Crimson Tide named four captains on Sunday. Defensive end Anfemee Jennings, safety Xavier McKinney, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa chosen as the representatives for the 2019 team and will be part of the annual A-Day enshrinement ceremony at Denny Chimes next spring

Alabama also named numerous individual awards at the banquet.

Award winners included:

Unsung Hero Award

(To the player who has made significant contributions to the success of the team and received the least recognition)

Josh Jobe, Chris Owens, Kendall Randolph, Major Tennison, Matt Womack

Outstanding Senior Scholar

(To the senior with the highest GPA)

Giles Amos, Shyheim Carter

Commitment to Academic Excellence Award

(To players who has demonstrated the greatest commitment and achievement in his academic endeavors during the previous year)

Miller Forristall, Mac Jones, Alex Leatherwood, Joshua McMillon, Eddie Smith, Jedrick Wills Jr.

Iron Man Award

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The Tuscaloosa News


(To the players have shown the most dedication to the individual and team goals of the Crimson Tide's year-round strength and conditioning program)

DJ Dale, Christian Harris, Evan Neal, Byron Young

Most Inspiring Player

(To the player who affects the whole team by his attitude as well as his performance (voted on by the players)

Tua Tagovailoa

Pat Trammel Award

(To a senior player whose character and contributions to the Alabama Football Team most personify the All-American youth of today and has reflected qualities oflntegrity, Character, Importance of Academics and Inspirational Leadership during their time at Alabama)

Shyheim Carter, Jared Mayden

Outstanding Defensive Performer

Trevon Diggs, Anfernee Jennings, Terrell Lewis, Xavier McKinney

Up-Front Award

(To the outstanding lineman from each unit)

Deonte Brown, Landon Dickerson, Christian Barmore, Phidarian Mathis

Defensive Achievement Award

(To the player who has played a critical role in the effectiveness of this unit)

Shyheim Carter, Raekwon Davis, Shane Lee, Patrick Surtain II

Offensive Achievement Award

(To the player who has played a critical role in the effectiveness of this unit)

Miller Forristall, Najee Harris, Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith

President's Award

(To a player from each unit who has shown perseverance in making outstanding contributions to the team's success)

Mac Jones, Alex Leatherwood, Henry Ruggs III, Jedrick Wills Jr.

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Special Teams Player of the Year Award

Slade Bolden, Thomas Fletcher, Ale Kaho, Jaylen Waddle

Offensive Player of the Year Award

Jerry Jeudy, Tua Tagovailoa, Jedrick Wills Jr.

Defensive Player of the Year Award

Anfemee Jennings, Xavier McKinney

Most Valuable Player Award

The Tuscaloosa News


(To the overall most valuable player on the team (voted on by the players)

Tua Tagovailoa

25

The Tuscaloosa News

Monday, December 9, 2019

Alabama to face Michigan in Citrus Bowl

By: Brett Hudson

The University of Alabama football team is heading to Orlando.

No. 13 Alabama (10-2) accepted an invitation to the Citrus Bowl, to play No. 14 Michigan (9-3,

6-3 Big 10) on Jan. 1 at noon Central time on ABC.

This is UA's first trip to the Citrus Bowl since 2010, when the bowl was known as the Capital

One Bowl. In that game, UA beat Michigan State 49-7. Alabama also played in this game after

the 1994 season and beat Ohio State 24-17 on Jan. 2, 1995. Sherman Williams was the MVP of

that game after running for 166 yards and catching eight passes for 155 yards, one of them the

game-winning 50-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jay Barker.

UA got into this game by being the first choice of SEC teams outside of the New Year's 6 bowls.

LSU making the Playoff put Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, and the Orange Bowl selected Florida.

The Cotton Bowl selected Penn State to face Memphis, leaving both Alabama and Auburn for

the Citrus Bowl to choose. Despite Auburn being No. 12 in the CFP rankings to Alabama's No.

13, the Citrus Bowl selected UA.

This will be the fifth meeting between Alabama and Michigan in football and will break the

series' 2-2 tie. The most recent meeting was the only one outside of a bowl game, when the two

met in the 2012 season opener at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Alabama won 41-14. The

other meetings were much closer: a 28-24 loss on Jan. 2, 1988; a 17-14 win on Jan. 1, 1997; and

a 35-34 overtime loss on Jan. 1, 2000.

This season, all three of Michigan's losses have come to teams ranked in the top 10 of the CFP

rankings: 35-14 to No. 8 Wisconsin, 28-21 to No. 10 Penn State and 56-27 to No. 2 Ohio State.

Michigan beat No. 15 Notre Dame 45-14 and No. 16 Iowa 10-3.The University of Alabama

football team is heading to Orlando.

No. 13 Alabama (10-2) accepted an invitation to the Citrus Bowl, to play No. 14 Michigan (9-3,

6-3 Big 10) on Jan. 1 at noon Central time on ABC.

"I think that this is an opportunity for us to reestablish the standard that we want to play to," UA

coach Nick Saban said on a Citrus Bowl teleconference. "I think when you play against a great

opponent, that certainly enhances that opportunity. I think it's an opportunity for a lot of players

on our team to have time to practice and prepare for the future, and that's certainly what we're

focused on right now, the future."

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The Tuscaloosa News


Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said on the same call: "The Alabama team is a great team. I have

the utmost respect for them: they set the bar for college football for the last many years, the

model of success. Credit to Nick Saban and his coaches."

This is UA's first trip to the Citrus Bowl since 2010, when the bowl was known as the Capital

One Bowl. In that game, UA beat Michigan State 49-7. Alabama also played in this game after

the 1994 season and beat Ohio State 24-17 on Jan. 2, 1995. Sherman Williams was the MVP of

that game after running for 166 yards and catching eight passes for 155 yards, one of them the

game-winning 50-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jay Barker.

UA got into this game by being the first choice of SEC teams outside of the New Year's 6 bowls.

LSU making the Playoff put Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, and the Orange Bowl selected Florida.

The Cotton Bowl selected Penn State to face Memphis, leaving both Alabama and Auburn for

the Citrus Bowl to choose. Despite Auburn being No. 12 in the CFP rankings to Alabama's No.

13, the Citrus Bowl selected UA.

Yet, it is still a bowl game outside of the College Football Playoff, leaving room to question is

UA will have its full allotment of players for the Citrus Bowl. Schools outside of the Playoff

have seen their top prospects sit out bowl games to prevent injury risk and begin their NFL Draft

preparation.

Saban says those conversations have not been had yet.

"I'm sure that guys are going to make individual decisions based on their circumstances and their

situations," Saban said. "What we want to focus on is the guys that want to look to the future,

want to improve themselves as players, improve our team and get back to the standard that we

want to play to."

This will be the fifth meeting between Alabama and Michigan in football and will break the

series' 2-2 tie. The most recent meeting was the only one outside of a bowl game, when the two

met in the 2012 season opener at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Alabama won 41-14. The

other meetings were much closer: a 28-24 loss on Jan. 2, 1988; a 17-14 win on Jan. 1, 1997; and

a 35-34 overtime loss on Jan. 1, 2000.

This season, all three of Michigan's losses have come to teams ranked in the top 10 of the CFP

rankings: 35-14 to No. 8 Wisconsin, 28-21 to No. 10 Penn State and 56-27 to No. 2 Ohio State.

Michigan beat No. 15 Notre Dame 45-14 and No. 16 Iowa 10-3.

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A mother’s concern about Alabama reveals pressure of college football By: Joseph Goodman A glimpse into the extreme pressures that college football players and their parents can experience surfaced this week in the form of a concerning blog post by the mother of a former Alabama defensive lineman.

Donna Frazier, the mother of Joshua Frazier, penned “An Open Letter To Alabama Recruits & Parents,” and it is eye opening and important, but also strangely accusatory. She wrote that her son “fell prey” at Alabama to “deceptive tactics used by Nick Saban and his coaches.” Framed as a damning accusation, the blog claims that Joshua Frazier’s former position coach “coerced” him “into taking Vyvanse,” which is a medication used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and allowed by the NCAA.

Bo Davis, who was fired from Alabama for an unrelated NCAA violation, is the coach implicated by Donna Frazier, who goes on to write that her son became addicted to Vyvanse. An effort to reach Davis, now the defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions, went unanswered by the Lions PR staff this week.

Never a regular starter for Alabama, Joshua Frazier played briefly in the NFL, and then for the Birmingham Iron of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football before announcing his retirement from football this year. He addressed his mom’s blog post on Twitter, but emphasized that he didn’t want to talk about it. He then said that his story would one day be told.

“To put it simply,” Donna Frazier wrote, “when I sent my son to the University of Alabama, he was healthy and drug-free. He graduated in just 3 ½ years with a degree in Communications and a wicked addiction to Vyvanse...Just in case you're wondering, Joshua is now 11 months free of this horrible addiction and in the process of returning to some degree of normalcy following this incredibly painful journey.”

The dangers of drug use on campuses are a concern to every parent, of course. If you’re familiar with college these days, then you already know “study drugs” like Vyvanse, Ritalin, Concerta and Addarall are used by students. According to one study, “estimates are that up to 20% of college students abuse prescription stimulants, most often by ingesting medications not prescribed to them.”

Those might be shocking numbers to some, but it is a well-known national public health crisis. Coaches obviously are not medical professionals, so Donna Frazier’s account of her son’s experience reads like an assistant coach at Alabama illegally pressured her son into taking a medication.

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It’s alarming to say the least. I reached out to Alabama for some clarification, and the school strongly pushed back against the accusations.

“While privacy laws prevent the University from sharing specific information about an individual, the health and well-being of our student-athletes is of primary concern,” Alabama said in a statement. “We follow proper medical procedures. Medications are prescribed by physicians, not coaches. The University takes these issues very seriously, going above and beyond many medical models. Any accusations to the contrary are false.”

After his mother’s post was published, Joshua Frazier made it clear on social media that he was upset with Donna Frazier for writing about him. He also emphasized his love for the University of Alabama, but did acknowledge some concerns.

“The program does have some issues that I wanted to address with them privately but my mom went ahead and posted that article,” Joshua Frazier wrote on social media. “I love my teammates more then[sic] anything and I wanted to do this silently as possible, because there are good people that I have met and develop[sic] relationships with in Bama and the time that I had there. And this has nothing to do with the fans more so the program itself. I hope you understand I love Bama just not the program I signed up to play for.”

Angry blogs and social media posts aren’t the most effective ways to address serious concerns, but it is important that Donna Frazier’s voice be heard. She’s a concerned parent, shedding light on the struggles of her son. It will matter to some that Donna Frazier originally wanted her son to play at the University of Arkansas, but it shouldn’t.

She is upset with Alabama, but the larger concern is the pressure student-athletes like her son face every day at campuses all over the country. Imagine the mental strain of the expectations alone. Everyone back home, including family members, thinks that guy who went to the big SEC school is going to be rich one day. Players’ identities are warped by recruiting rankings in high school, and then they’re hit with reality once they arrive on a college campus.

Joshua Frazier was ranked No.4 nationally among defensive tackle recruits in the 2014 recruiting cycle, and the No.1 overall player in Arkansas. At Alabama, there is always someone better.

In 2014, Frazier wasn’t among Alabama’s early enrollees. Then, for three years, he backed up Da’Ron Payne.

Payne was drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and Frazier went in the seventh. His college career didn’t go the way he expected, but at the same time he won two national championships and graduated in less than four years. Those are major accomplishments, and created a strong foundation for a successful adult life.

Players and parents need to be better educated before they arrive to colleges for official visits. The recruiting process, by nature, can badly obscure perspectives, and leave players and families feeling used or burned. That is a major problem of the system, and not just one program. Others can now learn from the experiences of the Frazier family.

29


It reminds me of something former Ohio State and Florida coach Urban Meyer used to tell his players at UF. Either take advantage of the system, or the system will take advantage of you.

Those are blunt words, and they might ring hollow coming from Meyer, but it’s the truth. At the same time, the enormous pressure on student-athletes inherent in those words can be dangerous. The mental health of students-athletes, who are under so much daily stress, must be one of the most serious concerns for universities.

The system of college football, with so much money at stake, is easily corruptible. We should all know this by now, but being reminded of it time and again is a lot better than forgetting.

30

A/reporter.com Monday, December 9, 2019

ACHE recommends $121,147,171M higher

education budget

By: Staff

At today's quarterly Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) meeting,

commissioners approved a $121,147, l 71M budget recommendation for higher education for FY

2020-21. The amount represents a 6.8% increase over the FY 2019-20 appropriation.

"This recommendation will bring Alabama's public colleges and universities closer to their pre

recession (2008) level of support from the Education Trust Fund," said ACHE Executive

Director Jim Purcell. "The proposal provides for a minimum increase of five percent for all

institutions and provides additional funding for particular campus activities or needs."

ACHE is required by law to present a single unified higher education budget recommendation

for the institutions to the governor and legislature each year.

ACHE will be asking lawmakers to include a five percent increase in the Alabama Student

Assistance Program that supports students from families of the working poor. Two new need

based initiatives, Career Promise and College Promise, would help students from low-income

families earn a postsecondary award for careers in high-demand fields in their community.

A top priority in the Commission's Higher Education Strategic Plan,Building Human Capital,

focuses on developing Alabama's economy and workforce by aligning educational offerings

with career pathways in high-demand fields.

ACHE maintains the Alabama Statewide Student Database, which now has over 12.5 million

student records. One of the reports produced from the student data lists the healthcare field as

the top producer among Alabama's public higher education institutions in bachelor, master and

doctoral degrees.

"Education supplying marketplace demand. The combination will spell success for Alabama's

future economic growth," said Robin McGill, ACHE director oflnstruction.

Auburn University

Master of Science in Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation

Bachelor of Arts in International Studies in Liberal Arts

Doctor of Philosophy in Building Construction

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A/reporter.com


University of Alabama

Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Engineering Design

University of South Alabama

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Supply Chain and Logistics

Management

University of West Alabama

Associate of Science in Tutorial Mathematics

Bevill State Community College

Associate in Applied Science and Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Technology

Bishop State Community College

Associate in Applied Science in Airframe Technology

Associate in Applied Science in Power Plant Technology

Associate in Applied Science in Avionics Technology

Shelton State Community College

Associate in Applied Science and Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Technology

Drake State Community and Technical College

Associate in Applied Science in Nursing

Lawson State Community College

Associate in Applied Science and Certificate in Hospitality Services Management

32

Al.com

Friday, December 6, 2019

Mayor of Montevallo honored for promoting

equality

By: Abbey Crain

The mayor of Montevallo, Hollie Cost, has been nationally recognized for her work empowering youth in her community and her devotion to equality.Cost is one of 15 community leaders selected from across the country to join Developing Exceptional American Leaders, or NewDEAL, a network aimed at expanding opportunity in communities through progressive solutions. The group connects community leaders with progressive political, policy, and private sector leaders to spur economic growth.

Cost helped to enact the state's second ever non-discrimination ordinance to ensure citizens will be protected from discrimination in housing and employment on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status and veteran status.

"I'm really proud of our community's focus on inclusivity," Cost said. "And just making sure that everyone has a voice at the table; and that we're building a community that is welcoming to everyone, regardless of your age, gender, nationality, race, religious preference, sexual preference."

Cost is the fourth leader from Alabama chosen to participate in NewDEAL. Others include: Anthony Daniels, the House minority leader in Huntsville; Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed; and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin.

Cost is a Montgomery native and went to college at Auburn University. She has worked as a special education professor at the University of Montevallo since 2000. Cost is intent on retaining the city's "best and brightest," and believes it is important that community youth is part of the city's structure. She helped establish Montevallo's Junior City Council, a group made up of middle and high school students, to improve civic engagement. The junior city council has worked to establish a teen center and hosted a mayoral youth debate.

"It's important to me too, because I have two teenage boys. They're 17 and 19," Cost said. "And I want them to want to come back one day or even either to visit or to bring their family."

Cost ran for mayor in 2012 under the slogan "Love Montevallo." She ran for re-election under the slogan "Grow the Love." And in 2020 she will focus on "Share the Love," making sure underserved populations such as seniors and the Hispanic community will reap the benefits from the city's revitalization. "What I'm doing is really looking to other communities more and I've been doing a little more travel to see how we can bring things from the strongest voices from those communities to Montevallo to help it to be a

33

The Birmingham News


Bradley Byrne: Jeff Sessions tried to get me

to drop out of Senate race

By: John Sharp

Two Republican Senate candidates said Thursday they received phone calls from Jeff Sessions before the former senator announced he was joining the race early last month to reclaim his old seat.

One candidate said Sessions suggested he drop out. The other said Sessions asked for his support.

Republican U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne of Fairhope, said Thursday that Sessions was "calling everyone up" and accused him of claiming ownership to the seat. Sessions, prior to becoming attorney general in 201 7, served in the Senate for 20 years.

Byrne, during an appearance on the "Matt and Aunie" radio show," claimed that Sessions told him that it would "be better off if you ran for your old congressional seat." Byrne said he then told Sessions he wasn't backing out of the Senate contest.

"I hate to say this about my friend, Jeff Sessions, but I think he believes he owns this seat," said Byrne. "He is calling everyone up and says, 'I own this seat and I'm coming to get it back.' He doesn't own the seat. It belongs to the people of Alabama."

Byrne also sarcastically criticized the phone conversation he had with Sessions in which the former attorney general told him that he was entering the Senate race because "I have a few more gallons left in the tank."

Byrne added, "I don't want someone as my senator who has a couple of gallons left in the tank. I don't want someone who when President Trump needed him, he walked off the field. We're in a fight up here. We'll be in a fight after this impeachment is over. We need someone with a full tank of gas that is understanding the fight we are in and willing to get up here and fight every day."

The Sessions campaign, in a statement to AL.com, urged Byrne to "stop slinging mud."

"When politicians like Bradley Byrne get desperate, they start talking out of both sides of their mouth," said Sessions' campaign manager Jon Jones. "In one sentence, he pretends to be Jeff Sessions' friend, and then lies about him - even alleging that Senator Sessions is too old to be of any use to the people of Alabama. Congressman Byrne should be embarrassed. Senator Sessions will not stoop to this level, and we urge Mr. Byrne to stop slinging mud."

Byrne's comments came a few days after Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill announced he was suspending his Senate candidacy, citing the addition of Sessions into the race as the main reason why he was stepping away.

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The Birmingham News Sunday, December 8, 2019

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill announces that he is running for U.S. Senate during a news conference at the State Capitol Building in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday June 25, 2019. He suspended his campaign on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019. (Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

Merrill, on Thursday, said he also received a phone call from Sessions on Nov. 6, one day before the former senator publicly announced he was running for the Senate and two days before the filing deadline.

Merrill said that Sessions was "professional" during their 10-minute conversation and did not urge him to drop out of the race.

"What he asked me was whether or not I would support him," said Merrill. "I told him, 'I'm pretty invested in the campaign right now and what we need to do is figure out where we are and figure out where to go from there.' He did not put any undo pressure or any undo influence on me."

Merrill said he received the phone call while having dinner with Baldwin County Superintendent Eddie Tyler and school officials at Fairhope High School. Merrill was scheduled to speak the next day before 1,800 people at Fairhope High School.

"(My cell) phone said 'No Caller ID' and I usually don't answer those," Merrill said. "I stepped (away from the dinner) and went outside and he said, 'I just wanted you to know that tomorrow I will make an announcement that I will seek the Senate seat. You are the only candidate I have told this to."'

Merrill said he was aware that Byrne received a call from Sessions in October, at which time Merrill was told that Sessions told Byrne he was "thinking about" running for his old Senate seat that is currently held by Democratic U.S. Sen. Doug Jones of Birmingham.

Merrill said that he told Sessions, during the Nov. 6 phone call, that he would get back in touch with him. On Sunday, the two had a phone conversation in which Merrill told the former senator he was dropping out of the race.

It's unclear if Sessions made a similar call last month to former Alabama State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. A Moore campaign spokesman did not respond to an email request for comment.

The senate campaign for former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville said no such phone call was extended to Tuberville.

Other Republicans running for the Senate include state Rep. Arnold Mooney of Indian Springs, businessman Stanley Adair and Dothan activist Ruth Page Nelson.

35

The Birmingham News


Don't be such a drag, Tommy Tuberville.

The future is a lot more important than the

past.

By: Kyle Whitmire

I'm trying not to write about Tommy Tuberville griping about drag queens in the Opelika

Christmas parade. By the time I get to the end of this column, I know I'll fail.

But I'm trying. I'm trying really hard to focus on something important. Something that matters.

Like this report out of the Brookings Institute that landed Monday.

Wait!! Come back!

I know, there might be few things less sexy than the words "Brookings Institute report," no

matter how you feel about dancing divas on a Christmas PRIDE float. But this other thing needs

our attention. It needs a lot of attention. At least as much as an unemployed football coach and

his hell-in-a-handbasket Mayberry RFD nostalgia.

On Monday Brookings released a study of the innovation sector - tech startups and STEM job

growth- in America and the findings aren't good for Alabama.

We're used to that, right?

But don't sweat. Because Alabama, for once, has a lot of company. Not just Mississippi. Not just

the South. Nearly the entire country, Brookings found, is in the same boat we are.

According to the report, since 2005, 90 percent of the innovation sector growth in this country

happened in just five metro areas.

Not five states. Five cities and their burbs.

Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle and San Diego saw nearly all of the tech sector growth

-what Brookings calls the "hyperconcentration" of innovation industries. The report's authors

warn this gravitational pull has short-circuited laissez-faire economics, and market forces aren't

spreading that success around the country.

Already, this phenomenon is doing awful things to our country, they said, and it will only get

worse.

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The Birmingham News


"Where people live, after all, is a determinant of their economic opportunities, especially in a

regionally unbalanced economy," the Brookings report says. "Therefore, the distance between

many Americans and the good job opportunities associated with the nation's vibrant innovation

centers amounts to a kind of economic exclusion."

In other words, if you don't live within driving distance ofless than a half dozen major coastal

cities, you aren't likely to see the benefits of the innovation economy.

And don't consider moving to one of those places, because many of the folks there already can't

afford their skyrocketing cost of living. What that means for the future is a hollowing out of our

country.

That's the bad.

Here's the not so bad.

But Brookings' authors argue there's a solution, what they call "place-based intervention." The

federal government, they argue, must give a boost to promising outliers - cities far apart from

those fab five - favoring those metros with research funding, fellowships, small business

incentives, workforce development, tax benefits and regulatory incentives to trigger a

"transformative innovation sector scale-up."

And here's the maybe-good for Alabama.

Brookings identified 35 metro areas it believes could benefit from such intervention. One is

Birmingham. (Thank you, UAB.)

However, Brookings recognizes that even the federal government has limited resources -

enough to boost eight to 10 of those promising cities, not all 35. Even under their plan, there will

be a fight for those resources.

What does all this have to do with Tubs and the Opelika Christmas queens?

Nothing, and that's the point.

Right now Alabama has two fairly decent U.S. senators, which is to say neither says dumb stuff

on social media just to draw attention to themselves.

Instead, they've tended to the quiet, important, Brookings-level-boring work of government.

Sen. Richard Shelby has brought billions in federal dollars to Alabama- whether it's for UAB

in Birmingham, the new FBI campus in Huntsville or the docks in Mobile. Thanks to him,

Alabama couldn't have more pork in its diet if all we ate was Conecuh sausage.

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Doug Jones is in the Senate's minority party, but that could change, one way or the other - if

his party wins the Senate next year or if he loses his Senate race. Any Democrat in Alabama,

even a moderate one like Jones, has a steep hill to climb.

Shelby's already beaten the average American life expectancy by nine years. No matter how

many government and business leaders pray daily for his health and well-being, we can't count

on that lasting forever.

One way or the other, both our senators could get called home.

And to be replaced by whom?

Alabama needs Senators in Washington who can find the resources - yes, pork, if you must -

Alabama needs.

Alabama needs elected leaders who care about a future-focused economy.

And none of that, I promise you, is at the Opelika Christmas parade.

"Hard to believe that right in my own backyard the city of Opelika allows drag queens in the city

Christmas Parade which was held this weekend," Tuberville wrote on Facebook. "What is next?"

What is next, indeed.

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Al.com


DJ Mackovets out as World Games 2021 CEO, replaced by Alabama Power exec Nick

Sellers

By: Roy S. Johnson

With less than two years before The World Games 2021 is scheduled to commence in Birmingham, there's a major shakeup at the top.

World Games 2021 CEO DJ Mackovets is out, replaced by Nick Sellers, a senior executive at Alabama Power.

The move was approved Wednesday morning by The World Games 2021 board of directors.

"We are delighted to welcome Nick as our new CEO," said Jonathan Porter, Chairman of The World Games 2021 Board of Directors. "He is a highly-respected executive with demonstrated success in strategic leadership, operations and implementation. He is wellpositioned to lead The World Games 2021 over the next 19 months, as we continue our positive momentum toward delivering a world-class event that showcases Birmingham to visitors from around the globe."

Sellers, a Birmingham native who played quarterback at the University of the Pacific, joined Alabama Power in 2003 and most recently headed the Mobile Division. Prior to joining Alabama Power, he served as policy adviser for the Business Council of Alabama and as policy adviser and special assistant to the Alabama Development Office (now Commerce Dept.) under Gov. Don Siegelman. He has also served as director of operations for the Alabama Sports Foundation, where he managed sponsorship and operations for several events, like the SEC Baseball Tournament and others.

Sellers also currently chairs the Alabama Sports Council, which produces the Magic City Classic, as well as other major sports events.

"Honored and grateful are the two words that capture my feelings," said Sellers. "We have a unique opportunity to present Birmingham and the State of Alabama to the world; so, our mission will be to deliver the best and most innovative competitor, spectator, and sponsor experience in the history of The World Games.

"The difference between success and failure is preparation," Sellers added Wednesday. "If we prepare and execute at the highest level, the event could launch a new era of shared prosperity for everyone."

He will move to Birmingham and be on loan from Alabama Power.

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The World Games are scheduled to take place in Birmingham, beginning July 15, 2021. It will mark the first time since 1981 that the 10-day event will take place in the United States.

About 3,600 athletes from 100 countries are expected to compete in 30 sports at various venues throughout the city. Officials have estimated that 100,000 visitors may descend upon Birmingham for the Games, although many expect the number to be lower.

"I've always believed in Birmingham and have confidence that we will come together in a way that we've never done before," Sellers added. Through the collaboration and leadership of the Birmingham Organizing Committee, City of Birmingham and International World Games Association, I'm convinced that the stars are aligned for us. This is our time. I'm ready to get to work."

Of the $48.8 million needed to fund the games , $22.5 million has been committed, according to the organization. Overall, $28.5 million is expected to be raised from the private sector (of which $14.5 million is committed), $9 million from the public sector ($8 million is committed). The remaining $11.3 million is expected to be generated by ticket and merchandise sales, in-kind contributions and other smaller areas.

Estimates say the games will generate about $20.5 million in revenue for the state and $5.1 million of revenue locally.

"Operationally, I don't really have any concerns," Mackovets told AL.com in July. "There's a lot of work to be done still, but I feel like we're in a really good spot."

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The Tuscaloosa News


Southern Living hotel planned for north Tuscaloosa

By: Jason Morton A Southern Living-branded hotel has been announced for construction on the banks of the Black Warrior River.

Planned for a 37-acre site between the now-shuttered Cypress Inn and the Rice Mine Road Loop, the estimated $60 million "Southern Living Hotel Tuscaloosa" could be open by February 2021.

And its design, according to developer Lifestyle Hotel Group, is geared toward women.

"All the things are going to be developed to meet the needs of the female traveler," said William Shoaf, president and CEO of Lifestyle Hotel Group.

Shoaf, who has been in the hotel development business for the past four decades, said his Rosemary Beach, Florida-based company has built luxury hotels across the nation, from Georgia to Hawaii, and recently completed a project at the Sundance resort in Utah under the direction of actor Robert Redford.

Southern Living Hotel Tuscaloosa is meant to cater to the 20 million or so women who subscribe to the Southern Living magazine, Shoaf said.

"We're very excited to get the project closed so we can get to the point where we can officially come to Tuscaloosa," Shoaf said.

The site is planned for more than just a hotel, though.

While the 124,000-square-foot complex is set to include 120 suites starting at an estimated $250-per-night, the hotel also will include a new restaurant developed by Birmingham restaurateur Chris Hastings and a rooftop lounge on its fourth floor.

"The Boat House" is a separate building intended to house its own food hall and entertainment venue with what Shoaf described as a "modern barn" appearance.

A TopGolf Swing Suite also is expected to be featured in The Boat House, Shoaf said, and a proposed "Southern Life Studio" will offer wine and bourbon tastings along with cooking and baking tutorials, among other activities.

The "Great Southern Bakery and Coffee House" is also planned for the campus. This eatery, in partnership with Southernn Living magazine, will offer food and beverages that are featured in the magazine's pages.

"Our hotels are really run as restaurants with rooms," Shoaf said.

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The Tuscaloosa News


Also slated for construction are 32 individual "Southern Living Residences," which will be for sale to individual owners and, depending on preferences, give those living in these homes access to the same amenities as hotel guests, from in-room dining to maid services.

"If you buy one of these, you're basically living in a hotel," Shoaf said.

That includes access to the Wellness Center, which will offer Peloton equipment, yoga classes, strength training, meditation classes, massage and facial therapy rooms, dry bar hair salons and a nail salon, as well as the Lagoon Pool, featuring hot tubs and locker rooms for both men and women.

Shoaf said working with Redford on Sundance gave him an appreciation for the natural look of the land and that he intends for the project to disturb no wetlands while preserving as many trees as possible on the site which features nearly 2,700 feet of frontage along the Black Warrior River.

This is the same tract where, in August 2015, Atlanta-based National Ventures Group announced its intentions to develop the $32 million Regent Club of Tuscaloosa, a proposed 135-room luxury hotel meant to cater to the Crimson Tide football traveler.

No updates on this project have been made since and, with Tuesday's unveiling of the Southern Living Hotel Tuscaloosa, plans for this resort-style hotel now appear to be dead.

But for Council President Cynthia Almond, who represents this area as part of District 3, she said she's glad that nine months of work and behind-the-scenes discussions can now be publicly unveiled.

"This is an exciting, first-class proposal to bring to Tuscaloosa a hotel experience unlike anything we currently have," Almond said. "It would be beneficial to our entire community to have a Southern Living-branded hotel here."

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The Tuscaloosa News


City could put the brakes on student housing

ir1 Auburn

By: the Associated Press

The mayor of Auburn is proposing an ordinance that would put the brakes on any new student

housing developments.

The Opelika-Auburn News reports that Mayor Ron Anders discussed the plan at a recent city

council meeting.

A student housing task force has heard complaints from residents and businesses over a rising

number of student developments.

The mayor said the number of beds in the city designed specifically for students is too high.

The mayor is proposing a 90-day moratorium on new developments, citing the need to reevaluate

traffic and safety issues, among other things.

"We need to do something because I'm afraid we've outgrown our roads and streets and I'm also

a little worried we may have outgrown our police division," City Councilman Tommy Dawson

said.

Councilman Brett Smith wondered if 90 days would give city staff members enough time to

consider the issue.

"I just don't want to put a Band-Aid on a shotgun wound," Smith said.

City Manager Jim Buston told the council members that 90 days would give the staff enough

time to find a more permanent solution.

"Staff has been working on a variety of options for some time now," Buston said. "We have

internally been discussing many of the things that the mayor read .. "

Council members agreed to ask the staff to draft an ordinance that would be introduced at the

Dec. 17 council meeting.

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The Tuscaloosa News


Higher education finance deserves a better system This editorial.first appeared in The Dallas Morning News (TNS).

We'll give Secretary of Education Betsy De Vos something she doesn't get very often-praise for an innovative idea. Even as Washington descends further into a hyperpartisan soup, this week she waded in with an idea that is long overdue and could end up leading tens of millions of future college students to afford higher education.

Her idea can best be expressed in this question: Should the responsibility of offering federal student loans be removed from the Department of Education? She raised the possibility of shifting a large chunk of the student loan portfolio to private lenders or simply moving the responsibility to another part of the federal government, likely a new standalone department or, as has been raised as a possibility in the past, the Department of the Treasury where there is an expertise on finance.

It's not often that a high-ranking federal official calls for shrinking his or her portfolio, so that alone should compel more people to take this idea seriously. But there is actually a more compelling reason to rethink federal loans. In short, the federal student loan portfolio is a mess. If Uncle Sam were a private bank, we'd likely see a pitchfork army camped o_ut in front of its doors. Consider these facts. Earlier this year, a Pew Research report took a look at student loans through the lens of an organization that had detailed data on 400,000 student borrowers in Texas who were at least five years or more into repayment. In the analysis, these borrowers were split into three categories: 1) those who had defaulted on their loans; 2) those who owed more than their original balance; and 3) those who owed less than their original balance.

Keeping in mind each of these categories included only those who had entered repayment at least five years earlier, the numbers are striking. Approximately, a quarter of all of these students had defaulted - 89% of those who defaulted did so within two years. Meanwhile, 21 % of these borrowers owed more than their original balance five or more years into repayment. And here, we're not surprised. When borrowers defer payment, interest keeps piling up. That left about half who actually managed to pay down part of their original debt, but only 22% of borrowers never missed or paused payments.

These are Texas numbers, of course. But Texas isn't exactly a standout for the bad performing portion of the federal loan portfolio. It's just a chunk of the portfolio that we have good data on. Or think of it this way: There are nearly 50 million student loan borrowers nationally, and about 20% of them have defaulted in some capacity, often at the expense of taxpayers.

About a decade ago the feds largely took over the student loan market. The devil is in the details, of course. But, it is past time that we realize that this experiment in federalizing this loan market is failing us taxpayers and failing students. We're owed a better system. It's past time to raise the bar on how we finance higher education.

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The Tuscaloosa News


NCAA: 'Highly probable' Congress passes

athlete comp rules

By: Ralph D. Russo

NEW YORK (AP) -NCAA President Mark Emmert said Wednesday it is "highly probable" Congress will set national guidelines for how college athletes can be compensated for the use of their names, images and likenesses.

Emmert, who spoke at a forum sponsored by the Sports Business Journal, said he is spending most of his time trying to figure out how the NCAA and its member schools will allow thousands of athletes to get that kind of compensation under the auspices of amateur athletics.

He said he is also spending a lot of time in Washington meeting with lawmakers, often with university presidents and other representatives from individual schools.

Last week, Sen. Chris Murphy and Sen. Mitt Romney announced the formation of a bipartisan congressional working group on the topic of athlete compensation.

"They want to hear from their home universities," Emmert said. "Members of Congress care about college sports. They recognize how important it is to American society. They don't want to do harm. They want to make it better. But it's going to be a long road. It's not going to be something that happens overnight."

The issue gained urgency after California passed a law in October that will give college athletes the right to make money of things like endorsement deals and promoting businesses or products on their social media accounts. That law does not go into effect until 2023.

Since then, more than 20 other states have moved on similar legislation, with some states saying they would like new laws in place as soon as next year.

That would make it almost impossible for the NCAA to operate with consistent rules for all its members.

"This is an issue bigger than the NCAA. This is an issue bigger than an NCAA group," Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said. "Where we're going to head, I hope, is not simply a political discussion, but a thoughtful and informative conversation about how best to support student-athletes."

A federal law would eliminate that potential problem, but the NCAA would like a say in what that looks like.

"If you had a completely unfettered sponsorship model like some state bills are anticipating, the nature of that can slide very quickly into an employee-employer relationship," Emmert said.

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The NCAA has had a working group sorting through name, image and likeness compensation since summer, before the Board of Governors last month cleared the way for athletes to be compensated "in a manner consistent with the collegiate model."

The board gave its sprawling membership a deadline to make legislative changes by 2021.

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby is part of the NIL working group.

"This hasn't, frankly, been the most enjoyable NCAA service that I have been involved with," Bowlsby said. He said the timetable the NCAA has set is "doable."

Ultimately what the NCAA does is likely to be dictated by lawmakers.

Temple athletic director Patrick Kraft said he knows compensating athletes is on its way to becoming a reality. He said he is "not losing sleep" over the issue.

"I just want to know how am I going to protect my institution and protect (the athletes)," he said.

The NCAA and college sports leaders have generally been apprehensive about federal regulation. Once the door is open, it could be difficult for college sports leaders to dictate what is off limits to lawmakers.

"That's going to be up to Congress," Emmert said. "We'll provide whatever input we can and answer whatever questions they want. They may well see other things they think could or should be addressed."

Emmert, who has been in his job since October 2010, acknowledged some issues "can't be really resolved without congressional action."

"But nobody is talking about the federal government running college sports," he said.

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Al.com


US Colleges Struggle with Increasing

Demand for Mental Health Services

By: Collin Binkley and Larry Fenn

More college students are turning to their schools for help with anxiety, depression and other mental health problems.

The Associated Press, or AP, reports that many students must wait weeks for treatment or find help outside the campus community as school clinics struggle to meet demand. This is just one of the findings from an AP study of over 30 public universities in the United States.

Over the past five years, the number of students in the U.S. higher education system has changed little. Yet on some campuses, the number of students seeking treatment for mental health issues has nearly doubled. This increase has been tied to a better understanding of such issues, along with rising rates of depression and other disorders.

Universities have expanded their mental health clinics, but that growth is often slow, and demand keeps rising.

Long waits have led to protests at schools from Maryland to California, in some cases following student suicides. In addition, campus clinics increasingly require their mental health specialists to do more work. However, this can lead to tired, "burned-out" employees.

Jamie Davidson is associate vice president for student wellness at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He told The AP his school struggles with large numbers of students who need mental health help. The university has 11 trained counselors for 30,000 students, but her team still finds the work difficult.

"You're never going to talk to anyone in the mental health field who tells you we have sufficient resources," Davidson said.

The Associated Press requested five years of records from the largest public university in all 50 states. A total of 39 provided year-by-year data from their counseling clinics or health centers. The records show that most universities are working to expand their mental health services, but many are simply unable to meet demand.

Since 2014, the number of students receiving treatment at the universities has grown by 35 percent. Yet the total number of students attending those schools rose just 5 percent. By last year, nearly 1 in 10 students were coming for help, but the number of trained counselors changed little.

That means one counselor for every 4,000 students on some campuses, including at Utah Valley University. Experts suggest at least one mental health specialist for every 1,500 students, but few of the 39 universities met that benchmark.

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One student's experience

Alcom


When Ashtyn Au.re sought treatment at Utah Valley's clinic last year, she was suffering anxiety attacks and had not slept for days. Her mind kept returning to painful experiences from her past. When she asked to see a counselor, one worker told her the wait list stretched for months. She

left without getting help.

"That was the place I was supposed to go. What do you do after that? Do you go to the hospital? Do you phone a friend?" said Au.re.

In the end, she turned to her religious group, which helped her find therapy at an off-campus clinic. "If it wasn't for that," she said, "I don't know."

Officials at Utah Valley said they are working to avoid such cases. If officials know a student is having serious problems, they said, a counselor can see that person in a few minutes. But workers have only a brief period to make decisions about treatment.

"Unfortunately, stories like this are not uncommon," said William Erb, senior director of student health services at Utah Valley. "We train, review and revise these procedures so that situations like this can be avoided as much as possible."

At most universities, students considering suicide or facing other serious issues are offered help right away. Others are asked to make an appointment. For cases that are not urgent, the wait can last from hours to months, depending on the time of year and the design of the clinic.

Many schools that provided data to The AP said it takes weeks to get a first appointment. At Utah Valley, students waited an average of more than four weeks last year. At the University of Washington at Seattle, it was three weeks. During busy times at Louisiana State University, wait times stretched to four or five weeks.

To some students, waiting is just a minor problem. But it raises the risk that some young people will give up on seeking treatment, possibly leading to a worsening of their condition.

At several universities, students have organized campaigns to improve counseling services. But for mental health cases that are not urgent, some argue that waiting is not necessarily bad - and could even lead to better results.

A recent study found greater reductions in anxiety and depression at clinics that provide students ongoing meetings with counselors as opposed to a single meeting when conditions worsen. But under this system, the student might have to wait for a therapist's caseload to open up.

The rising demand for campus mental health care has been linked to many things. Public recognition of the issue has improved, leading more students to get help. Disorders that once prevented students from going to college are no longer seen as a barrier. Some people believe

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ALcom


social media fuels anxiety, while others say the current generation of students simply has more trouble dealing with stress.

Many universities are now rethinking how they provide help, such as offering more short-term treatment programs. More students are being pushed towards group therapy or classes on dealing with anxiety. Counseling centers offer activities like yoga, and many train students to provide emotional help to one another.

Rising demand has also opened doors for businesses promising solutions. Some schools work with services that provide mental health therapy over the telephone or through video meetings. Others urge students to try software programs on their smartphones.

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The Tuscaloosa News


U of Phoenix agrees to settle FTC case

alleging deceptive ad

By: Collin Binkley, Associated Press

The University of Phoenix and its parent company have agreed to pay $50 million in cash and cancel $141 million in student debt to settle allegations of deceptive advertisement brought by the Federal Trade Commission. The deal, announced Tuesday, settles a dispute over an ad campaign the for-profit college unrolled in 2012 touting partnerships with companies including Microsoft, Twitter and Adobe. It suggested the school worked with those companies to create job opportunities for students, even though there was no such agreement, investigators found.

The Federal Trade Commission said the settlement is the largest the agency has ever obtained against a for-profit college.

"Students making important decisions about their education need the facts, not fantasy job opportunities that do not exist," said Andrew Smith, director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The University of Phoenix said in a statement that much of the dispute focused on a single ad campaign that ran from 2012 to 2014. It said it agreed to the deal "to avoid any further distraction from serving students."

"The campaign occurred under prior ownership and concluded before the FTC's inquiry began. We continue to believe the University acted appropriately," the company said.

Apollo Education Group owns the University of Phoenix. The Arizona-based for-profit college chain has 55 campuses across the nation and teaches thousands of students through its online programs. It's the nation's largest recipient of GI Bill tuition benefits for military veterans.

Under the settlement, the University of Phoenix and Apollo will cancel all remaining debt for students who first enrolled between Oct. 1, 2012, and the end of 2016. Letters will be sent to borrowers saying they no longer owe payments to the school. The school is also barred from making false claims about its relationships with companies or employers.

The FTC says the $50 million payment will be used to help consumers who were misled by the ads.

According to the FTC's complaint, the University of Phoenix created the 2012 ad campaign to distinguish itself from competitors as the chain's enrollment was falling. After conducting market research, investigators found, the chain adopted an ad strategy tying the school to successful career outcomes. The campaign was called "Let's Get To Work!"

In one TV ad that aired in 2012, a frustrated driver weaves through a crowded parking lot looking for a space. As a narrator notes that the University of Phoenix works with companies "to create options for you," cars are suddenly lifted out of parking spaces and replaced with logos for companies including Microsoft and the American Red Cross.

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The Tuscaloosa News


Other TV, radio and internet ads boasted of similar ties with corporate partners including AT & T, Hitachi and Avis. In one 2013 radio ad, the University of Phoenix said companies including AT&T and Adobe were "helping us shape our curriculum to make sure today's classes help prepare you to pursue tomorrow's jobs." Investigators said that wasn't true.

Instead, many of the companies touted as corporate partners were actually part of the University of Phoenix's "Workforce Solutions" program that provided discounted tuition to their employees in exchange for the companies' help promoting the school.

Some companies that were asked to participate in the ads raised objections about the way they were being portrayed, investigators found. When approached to be part of the parking lot ad, for example, Staples officials said it falsely made it sound like they were helping guide the school's curriculum. The company ultimately did not participate.

Even some senior officials at the University of Phoenix took issue with the ads. In 2012, a senior vice president complained to the chief marketing officer that using Adobe in the parking lot ad was "smoke & mirrors," investigators found. "They are not a partner," the vice president wrote. "We may do business with them, but nothing academically."

The settlement was applauded by some education advocacy groups, including Veterans Education Success, which works to help military veterans. Carrie Wofford, the group's president, thanked the FTC for its work.

"The FTC's findings should shock every patriotic American," she said. "Enough is enough. It's time to stop the fleecing of America's veterans and service members by predatory colleges."

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ALcom


TD Marshall: Family Man, Cornerback,

Blazer

By: Evan Dudley

Trailing late in the third quarter of its season finale, the UAB football team was sorely in need of a momentum-swinging play and got one from a former receiver turned defensive back.

Playing in the hip pocket of the man that beat him for a first-quarter touchdown, cornerback TD Marshall turned his head to see North Texas quarterback Mason Fine fall back in the pocket and heave a lame-duck into the air.

For Marshall, it all occurred in slow motion.

The redshirt junior gauged the trajectory of the throw and leaped into the air to snag the ball, made one move to miss a man, and followed a convoy of teammates to the end zone and a division-clinching victory over the Mean Green.

"Playing the game, I wasn't thinking of it like that," Marshall said. "I was just trying to make sure we won. After the game, it kind of sunk in. I thought, 'That really won the game. That was the changing point.' After that, I was happy for a minute. I got on the plane and was still happy. Yesterday, it kind of went away. This morning, I came in and almost forgot about it and was ready to work."

Marshall isn't just your average college student playing a starting role for a Division I football program.

He's also a family man.

Already the father of a 5-year-old son, Braylin, Marshall and his fiancee, Alexis Goodwin, welcomed a second son, Bronx, almost five months ago, July 22, before starting his first full season at UAB after sitting out a year due to transfer rules.

"I think it's a credit to his upbringing," cornerbacks coach Jay Simpson said. "His parents did a great job ofraising him and getting him to understand the importance of humility. He's wise beyond his years. When he became a father again, I had no doubt in my mind that he would be just as good, if not better, as a family man and as a father, than he is as an athlete. It's rewarding to see a kid work so hard, both on and off the field, and see his story unfold the way it's unfolding. I couldn't be prouder of him."

"He's a great dad," he added. "We could talk about football all day, but when it comes to his family and his kids, seeing him in that element and see him around those loved ones of his, it's really a sight to see and something I've enjoyed watching over the course of time."

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While being a father and partner is no easy task, it's exponentially harder with a full class load, football practice and time away from family during weekends. Marshall, as he has since first becoming a father during his time as a standout at Leeds, somehow finds the perfect balance between his personal, scholastic and athletic lives.

And as it is with all great men, there's an even better woman inspiring him to be the best version of himself.

"It came from faith, family and football, that's what I live by," he said. "My family has done a great job this season understanding what's going on. She (Alexis) has also done a great job just being there, shoulder to lean on, and she understands. She played sports in high school so she knows what a season is supposed to look like."

During his time at Leeds, Marshall became a father for the first time when his oldest, Braylin, as born in 2014.

The sudden responsibility that entails caring for another human life was daunting, but Marshall embraced fatherhood while finishing his prep career in leading the Green Wave to three straight state title game appearances and back-to-back AHSAA Class 4A titles to close out his career.

"It was really big, I guess you could say it opened my eyes," he said. "I had to grow up real fast, tum into an adult way before I wanted to, but I knew I needed to. Being able to provide for my family is all I want to do for as long as I can. If football is what's going to help me do that, then that's what I'm going to do."

Beginning his career at Samford, Marshall totaled 51 receptions for 454 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons as a receiver and earned All-SoCon Freshman honors his first year.

Yet, the opportunity to step up to the FBS-level presented itself just across the mountain on the Southside of Birmingham.

"After talking with my dad and a couple of friends, I realized I wanted to be pressured more and face more competition," Marshall said. "I felt like this was a great move."

Marshall sat out the 2018 season due to NCAA transfer rules but had an impressive spring for the Blazers at receiver, highlighted by a 25-yard touchdown catch in the spring game. He carried that momentum into the fall and found a place in the receiver rotation until junior comerback Brontae Harris was lost for the season on the second day of practice.

A need arose for depth in the secondary after the loss of its primary defender and Marshall was the one to place his name in the hat. After a quick learning curve, and the losses of Jarrion Street for the season and CD Daniels for a couple of games, Marshall ascended to the starting position, opposite of Starling Thomas V, and hasn't looked back in starting the last seven games for UAB.

"The switch was really hard at first, but after the first game, I kind of got acclimated to the comerback life," Marshall said. "My first start came when CD (Daniels) went down and I knew I

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Al.com


had to grow up and grow up fast. I couldn't rely on any of my past accolades to get me where I want to go and that's when I realized I needed to start working harder than I was."

The injuries throughout the secondary this season necessitated Marshall's move to defense, but it's been his lockdown play that has kept him there.

Even when taking a beating early, Marshall responded with the biggest play of the season for the Blazers in getting them back to the conference title game for the second straight season.

"I think early on, we were looking for depth at the comerback position," Simpson said. "Obviously we lost Brontae (Harris) early and that forced our hand a little bit. We were looking for somebody, who had a unique skill set, to be able to come over and give us what we needed out there on the edge."

"TD, selflessly, stepped up," he added. "Coach Clark conceptualized it early on, we experimented with it in the spring, and this fall we decided to go all out as an offensive and defensive staff and make the switch. The rest has been history."

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The Birmingham News


UAB falls hard in C-USA title game

By: Evan Dudley

Lee Dufour couldn't be more proud.

Even in a distraught locker room, the senior center, who has seen the fall and rise of the UAB program, took a moment to let every single person know how much their effort and commitment made a difference in his life and the life of a football program left for dead five years ago.

Yes, Dufour's team was blown out in the conference title game, but even making it there was more than what was expected for UAB this season. Especially entering the final three weeks of the season with two conference losses and in need of serious help from cross-division rivals.

"The amount of work we put in this season, it goes to show we made it to the championship," Dufour said. "Obviously it didn't end how we wanted it to, but we can't make any excuses for anything happened through the season. A lot of hard work went into getting this program where it is now, but I'm proud of my teammates, especially being a senior. Them getting me to this point, being able to at least play in a championship going out my senior year."

The Blazers (9-4, 6-2 CUSA) were handed one of the worst losses in Bill Clark's tenure as they suffered a 49-6 loss to the FAU Owls in the 2019 Conference USA Championship at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.

"First, I want to congratulate our guys on getting here and what a great job they did this year," UAB head coach Bill Clark said. "Hats off to FAU for a great performance today. Very complimentary of them, they obviously have a really good team."

UAB faced one of the weakest schedules in all of the FBS this season and won only one game against a team with a winning record, Louisiana Tech. The Blazers caught the Bulldogs with their starting quarterback and top receiver suspended, and, outside of that game, had seven wins over FBS teams with a combined record of 15-69.

"I know they're hurting," Clark said. "This is a team that's got a lot of pride. That's what you see when guys are out there, not giving in and showing emotion. They were embarrassed today. This team is the West champs, played great defense all year, offense has been solid, but the thing for us is we're not going to put our head down."

"But we do have a bowl game," he added. "For us, we need to heal up, rest up some, find out who our bowl opponent is, and let's see if we can go get a W and get that bad taste out of our mouth."

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The loss of more than 30 seniors. Multiple injuries to the offensive line throughout the season. Not too mention relying on a backup quarterback that wasn't quite ready to lead a functional offense.

All the reasons and more that UAB was dismissed as a conference title contender, and perhaps all of the reasons why they made it back for consecutive appearances.

Obviously, that didn't matter much to the Owls.

F AU racked up more than 500 yards of offense with quarterback Chris Robison being named title game MVP after going 17-of-37 for 267 yards and four touchdowns. Robison was not sacked in the game and even ran the ball effectively for 30 yards on four carries.

"Defensibly, we're used to playing a little bit better than that," Clark said. "Give them credit, I think they found a four-open set, basically running tempo and their quick game, and kept hitting good matchups on us. Offensively, we moved it some, turned the ball over, and uncharacteristically have a punt blocked. But I was really proud second half, came in and we were down which we're not used to being, really came back out and fought hard in the second half. FAU was a better team today."

The Owls jumped out to a 21-3 lead within the first minute of the second quarter and added two more scores before the end of the first half for a 29-point lead at intermission.

It didn't get much better in the second half as F AU scored twice and shut out the Blazers in the final 30 minutes.

Although the loss is the definitive worst in the Clark era, it came in a conference title game rather than against a winless UTEP team in El Paso. The stride the program continues to make only creates high standards, but also more despair if they're not met.

"It's kind of why we talk about miracles," Clark said. "I think the depth too when you have injuries or something bad happen, can you get that built over a short period of time. The mindset and belief."

"You saw that out of our guys," he added. "We used to winning. Having sat here last year on another note, I'm just thankful to be here. That wasn't our goal. We didn't say we were just glad to be here and we're going to show up. I think our program, to be where we are, humbly say how proud I am of coaches and players."

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The Tuscaloosa News


MR. GOLF: Alabama adds top golfers to

recruit class

By: Ian Thompson

In my last column I talked about recruiting for local college programs, including Michaela

Morard and Benedetta Moresco signing national letters of intent to attend the University of

Alabama.

At that time of writing, UA's men's coach Jay Seawell had yet to announce his 2020 signees. He

has subsequently done so and they are Canon Claycomb of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and JP

Cave of Mobile.

"I am really excited about Canon and JP being a part of the Alabama golf family," Seawell said.

"They are both great talents, but more importantly they bring the character that matches the

heartbeat and soul of our program. I can't wait to get them on campus and get to work."

Claycomb is ranked No. I in the Golfstat/Sagarin Rankings, No. 4 Rolex American Junior Golf

Association (AJGA) rankings and No. 64 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR)

He's a four-time Rolex Junior All-American, including landing a spot on the 2019 First Team.

He has a slew of other top honors and achievements and will certainly arrive on the Capstone

highly touted, but the following really caught my eye in a press release:

"He started the Mason Cup to honor family friend Mason Goodnight, who passed away suddenly

in April 2017, and benefits the Mason Goodnight Foundation which supports youth sports in

Bowling Green and surrounding communities. Through the Mason Cup, he has helped raise

more than $240,000 with friends using a Ryder Cup-style format since 2018."

That is truly remarkable and most commendable.

"I am so excited today to have Canon part of our Alabama golf family," Seawell continued. "He

is one of the top players in the country and had his choice of schools where he wanted to attend.

He chose Alabama and that makes me excited that he believed that we gave him the best

opportunity to get a good education, develop his golf and win championships."

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Cave is a three-time all-state honoree by the Alabama Golf Association (AGA), earning 2017

first team all-state, 2018 third-team and the 2019 second-team honors.

He has earned the AHSAA 4A boys individual state champion in back-to-back seasons, claiming

the 4A medalist honor in 2018 as a sophomore and the SA honor in 2019 as a junior, and has

helped lead UMS Wright to four consecutive state championships heading into the 2019-20

season.

He recorded a runner-up finish at the AGA Boys State Junior Championship and a fifth-place

finish at the Southern Junior Championship, as well as many other top tournament finishes.

"The Alabama men's golf program has been built on the recruitment of our in-state talent,"

Seawell noted. "I am excited to have JP join our program. He is one of the top talents in the state

of Alabama and the 2020 class. He certainly has a bright future here at the Capstone."

Other statewide signees

Here are some more signees, in addition to the ones I listed last time.

Elina Sinz, Katy, Texas, Auburn women; Emma Pittman, Pike Road, Lee University; Harrison

Davis, Fort Payne, Mississippi State; Eli Mitchell, Meridian, Ms., and William Skipp, England,

University of South Alabama; Jarrod Johnson, Tucson, Ariz., and George Burch, Mobile, Troy

University; Will Patrick, Oneonta, Louisiana Tech; Mac Scott, Mountain Brook, Furman; and

Emilia Smith, UAB.

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Al.com


Alabama weathers upstart who stunned

Duke, evens record


The plan wasn't complex, just challenging.

Playing a team that forces turnovers on a historic pace, Alabama's turnover prone offense had to just not for a night.

It worked.

The Crimson Tide beat Stephen F. Austin, the team that stunned Duke last week, by a 78-68 final in Coleman Coliseum on Friday night. The win evened Alabama's record at 4-4 while the Lumberjacks fell to 7-2. Just last week, the Southland Conference team upset Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium to end a 150-game non-conference home winning streak.

Though not the cleanest of games Friday, Alabama was well below the 26 forced turnovers SF A averages to lead the nation. In fact, the Tide cranked up the defensive pressure to force 19 turnovers while giving up 20. Alabama also blocked eight shots and led by as many as 14 points in the second half.

"I think their toughness was extraordinary," Stephen F. Austin coach Kyle Keller said.

The Tide's turnovers were the fewest of any SFA opponent until the final minute of the game. Alabama entered the game 347th of 350 Division I teams in giveaways.

And on the free-throw front, Alabama was 25-for-35 (71.4 percent) after averaging 69.9 percent in the first seven games.

Some timely 3-point shooting made the ultimate difference.

Alex Reese and John Petty each hit four apiece from behind the arc as five Alabama players hit double figures. J aden Shackelford' s 17 points led the way on 1 0-for-11 foul shooting. Reese and Kira Lewis added 15 apiece.

Reese was limited all week in practice with a foot injury from last week's tournament and guard Beetle Bolden didn't play with the lingering bone bruise on his left hand.

Alabama coach Nate Oats said Bolden met with doctors in Birmingham who advised him to sit out Friday's game "for his long-term health." Oats is under the impression the West Virginia transfer should be able to play at Penn State on Dec. 14 in his team's next game.

As a team, Alabama was 11-for-32 from 3-point range with Petty feeling some of the momentum from the Bahamas trip. He went 4-for-10 from long range while adding a few

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Al.com


behind-the-back passes. One in the first half went to Kira Lewis for an early 3-pointer when the Tide was struggling.

"I'm feeling good," Petty said. "It's some of the extra work I've put in after shoot arounds, after practices and after games. So, I think that's what's building my confidence and these guys telling me you' re a shooter. It don't matter if you miss or how many times you miss, just keep shooting."

Lewis played all but six seconds of the game with Bolden sidelined, recovering from early turnovers to score 15 and deal three assists.

After trailing by six in the opening moments, Alabama found its rhythm and blew things open after halftime. Petty hit a pair of 3s in the first 90 seconds of the second half as the Tide went on a 13-4 run coming out of the locker room.

"To be honest with you and I hate to say it but I didn't have us ready," SFA's Keller said. "I thought we were unbelievably selfish. We didn't trust and I think Alabama put us in a lot of pressure."

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The Tuscaloosa News


Alabama's Jaylen Waddle is SEC's top

special teams player

By: Staff Report

The SEC selected Alabama wide receiver and return man Jaylen Waddle as its special teams player of the year.

The sophomore leads the nation with 24.95 yards per punt return and is one of just 31 players this season to return one for a touchdown. His was a 77-yard touchdown return against LSU. Waddle is also one of just 40 players to return a kickoff for a touchdown, Waddle getting his in the Iron Bowl.

Waddle 4 7 4 punt return yards are already fourth in school history for a single season, just 19 yards behind Javier Arenas' 2009 season. Arenas' 2008 season still claims the school record, 650 yards.

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The Birmingham News


Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh had recruiting

beef 3 years ago. Now they meet on field.


The absence of sizzle comes with a December minus playoff discussion.

There's no shot at a Clemson showdown for the first time in five years as Alabama plans for a trip to Orlando for an also-ran bowl. There's still some pop involved when the Citrus Bowl opponent is Michigan and the Wolverine head coach is Jim Harbaugh.

The nation's third highest-paid coach behind Nick Saban and Clemson's Dabo Swinney can be somewhat of an enigma. A former NFL starting quarterback who returned home to rescue his floundering alma mater, Harbaugh has yet to push Michigan back in line with expectations of a proud following. Five years and five losses to Ohio State won't build confidence, yet he'll fly to Orlando with a 47-17 record with the Wolverines.

There he will find Saban, the established he's never faced as a fellow head coach.

That's not to say they have no history. They do.

Just travel back to the spring and summer of 2016 when the brash Harbaugh's vision for recruiting collided with Saban's. The topic of satellite camps for evaluating and courting prospects wasn't the sexiest of off season debates until Harbaugh and Saban traded shots in the media.

Bottom line: Harbaugh wanted to expand the Michigan recruiting footprint into the warmer, more fertile grounds south of Ann Arbor. Saban wasn't interested. And he was outspoken on the legislation aimed at opening up this practice.

Speaking at the SEC spring meetings that May, Saban went on a podium, smacking rant about these camps creating a "wild, wild west" in the recruiting world.

"I'm not blaming Jim Harbaugh, I'm not saying anything about him," Saban said. "I'm just saying it's bad for college football. Jim Harbaugh can do whatever he wants to do. I'm not saying anything bad about him if he thinks that's what's best. There needs to be somebody that looks out for what's best for the game, not what's best for the Big 10 or what's best for the SEC, or what's best for Jim Harbaugh, but what's best for the game of college football -- the integrity of the game, the coaches, the players and the people that play it. That's bigger than all of this."

Well, Harbaugh didn't appreciate being name checked, apparently.

A few hours after Saban made his case in Destin, Harbaugh took his to Twitter.

"Amazing" to me- Alabama broke NCAA rules & now their HC is lecturing us on the possibility of rules being broken at camps. Truly "amazing," was Harbaugh's tweet.

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The Birmingham News


The rule breaking he referenced involved the resignation of then-defensive line coach Bo Davis for NCAA recruiting rules violations. Harbaugh answered questions about his tweet the following day in Atlanta for a satellite camp.

"The issue is what I said it was. Somebody that has recently broken rules and has that in their history lecturing us coaches on potentially violating rules," Harbaugh told reporters. "I just thought it was hypocritical. It was a hypocritical act."

Saban spoke to ESPN in response to Harbaugh's dig, telling reporter Chris Low he didn't take the comments personally.

"That's his business. I don't really care what he thinks or tweets," Saban told ESPN. "I say what I think is best for college football and say what I think is best for the players and the kids. As I said [Tuesday], it's not about him or anybody else."

This all came a year after Harbaugh famously popped his top held a satellite camp shirtless in Prattville. A day later, Dytarious Johnson of Prattville committed to Michigan but he never played for the Wolverines. The linebacker just completed a 67-tackle junior season at Eastern Illinois of the FCS.

Harbaugh, meanwhile, remained critical of the SEC and his perceived issues with recruiting.

"It's hard to beat the cheaters," was one of the Harbaugh quotes supposedly referencing but not naming the SEC from his book "Overtime" published this summer with author John U. Bacon.

The tensions had cooled, at least in the public realm, when the two participated in separate media teleconferences Sunday after the Citrus Bowl pairing was announced.

"I don't really know Jim Harbaugh all that well," Saban said, "but I do have a tremendous amount ofrespect for him."

Harbaugh said his relationship with Saban was "good" and "professional," though he didn't answer a question about the 2016 satellite camp tension.

"Very cordial every time I've been around him, which has been a few of the Heisman ceremonies, basketball game a pretty long time ago," Harbaugh said. "Just been a coach who I've admired the career and job that he's done."

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UA lands 5 on SEC All-Freshmen team By: Brett Hudson The University of Alabama had five football players on the SEC’s All-Freshmen Team released Thursday: left guard Evan Neal, punter Ty Perine, defensive lineman Christian Barmore and linebackers Shane Lee and Christian Harris.

Neal, Lee and Harris were thrust into starting roles from the beginning of the season. Lee and Harris were put there after injuries to Dylan Moses and Joshua McMillon kept both of those veterans out of the 2019 season. Neal was a consistent fixture for the offensive line, never seeing his role change when the line shuffled after Deonte Brown’s four-game suspension.

Perine became a cult hero as a walk-on punter, fixing the punting woes that afflicted UA for the first half of the season. His 13 punts averaged 44.69 yards, while the 14 punts shared by Skyler DeLong and Will Reichard averaged a combined 34.43 yards per punt. All three of Alabama’s 50-yard punts were off the foot of Perine.

Barmore’s role grew as an interior pass rush specialist, and it was a productive one for him: despite not getting significant snaps in the role until roughly the midway point of the season, Barmore produced six tackles for a loss, two sacks, a pass breakup and four quarterback hurries. Barmore got experience outside of the pass rush role in the Western Carolina and Auburn games, when D.J. Dale missed both games and Phidarian Mathis missed the Western Carolina game.

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The Tuscaloosa News


Tide has 14 players on coaches' SEC teams

By: Brett Hudson

The SEC's football coaches released their All-SEC teams on Tuesday, naming 14 Alabama players to the two teams. It came a day after the AP All-SEC team named just 11 members of the Crimson Tide.

Offensive linemen Jedrick Wills Jr. and Alex Leatherwood, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, outside linebacker Anfemee Jennings, safety Xavier McKinney and return specialist Jaylen Waddle were the first-team honorees. McKinney, Wills and Jennings were also on the first team on the AP's All-SEC team.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, running back Najee Harris, wide receiver DeVonta Smith, center Landon Dickerson, defensive lineman Raekwon Davis, outside linebacker Terrell Lewis made the second-team; Waddle made the second-team as an all-purpose player.

UA offensive line a finalist

The Joe Moore Award, given to the nation's best offensive line as a collective of five, not as individuals, cut its semifinalists down to four finalists, and Alabama's offensive line is one of the four.

It joins LSU, Ohio State and Oregon as finalists. The winner will be announced after the trophy is awarded on a surprise visit to the winning school's campus.

The Joe Moore Award began in 2015 and Alabama won the first trophy it awarded. It has since been claimed by 2016 Iowa, 2017 Notre Dame and 2018 Oklahoma.

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Documents

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