Two Alabama fans wore a tee shirt that read, “Lillin Our Way Through the SEC” to Alabama’s SEC tournament matchup on Saturday.
The tee shirts are in reference to the shooting death of Jamea Harris in mid-January. Former Alabama Crimson Tide player Darius Miles was indicted on capital murder charges in connection with the killing on Friday.
When one of the men was asked by an AL.com reporter why he was wearing the shirt, he told the reporter to “get the f*ck out of my face.” When the reporter continued to question the man about the shirt, he reportedly stood up and repeatedly told the reporter to “get the f*ck” out of his face.
The Associated Press
The man vowed to return to the arena for Sunday’s tournament action. However, an SEC spokesman told AL.com that the men would not be allowed to enter the facility while wearing the shirts, and if they attempted to smuggle the shirts in and don them once inside, they would be removed.
According to AL.com:
It was another unusual situation involving Alabama basketball in a week that has been full of them. Also on Saturday a man dressed in a Vanderbilt shirt chanted ‘Brandon Killer’ and said ‘God is gonna judge you’ as Alabama star Brandon Miller warmed up before the game. Miller said after the game he heard the chants but said “I lean on my teammates.”
Miller has been the source of controversy ever since a February pre-trial hearing revealed that he was at the scene of Harris’ death. Miller has not been charged with any crimes, but police testified that he transported Miles’ gun to him after being asked to do so. Miles later provided the gun to Michael Davis, according to police, who shot and killed Harris in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama has faced an outpouring of criticism for continuing to allow Miller to play despite his involvement in the incident. However, Alabama head coach Nate Oats says he’s “comfortable” with the decision.
“Based on the information we had, Brandon didn’t break any school policy or team policy,” Oats said, “so we were comfortable with the decision that was made.”
Akabama begins NCAA Tournament play on Thursday.