TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A disagreement in the early hours of Jan. 15 on The Strip in Tuscaloosa turned tragic when 23-year-old mother Jamea Jonae Harris was shot and killed, with former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles one of two people arrested and charged with the murder.
This story made headlines again recently with reports that Alabama star freshman Brandon Miller was the person who brought Miles his gun, driving to meet him at around 1:45 in the morning.
Miller’s attorney said the freshman was unaware that he was in possession of the firearm until receiving a text from Miles while he was already on his way to pick him up.
Tuscaloosa police made it clear Miller is not under criminal investigation at this time, and Miller has not faced any suspension or punishment from Alabama or the NCAA since the incident.
While the handling of the situation by coach Nate Oats certainly ruffled some feathers, namely describing Miller’s involvement as a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ situation, Locked on Crimson Tide podcast host Luke Robinson believes Miller deserves to continue playing as long as he is not under criminal investigation.
“Miller’s connection is loose at best to all of this,” Robinson told Peter Bukowski on the Locked on Sports Today podcast. “People are going to focus on the text from Miles to Miller [asking to bring the gun] and overlook the fact that Miller was already on his way to pick up Miles.”
Miller and fellow freshman Jaden Bradley were both present when shots began to ring out, with Miller’s car even taking a pair of bullets from the incident.
Miller’s lack of punishment from Alabama caused quite the stir around college basketball, as did his recent introduction during Bama’s home game against Arkansas when – upon getting introduced in pregame – he received a fake pat down from a teammate.
This celebration had been going on all season long, but Oats was quick to express it would not happen again in light of Harris’ passing and Miller’s involvement.
Barring more surprise reveals from Tuscaloosa PD or anyone else involved, it is unlikely Miller will face punishment – although the handling of this situation by Oats and the Alabama sports information department (who tried to prevent reporters from asking questions about the situation) will be a attention on the Crimson Tide basketball program for the foreseeable future.
Check out more coverage on the situation from related Locked On podcasts below: