Nate Oats says Missouri fans were removed after ‘inappropriate’ comments regarding Darius Miles

Alabama head coach Nate Oats prepares for the game against Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Ncaa Basketball Alabama At Vanderbilt

In Alabama’s 85-64 win over Missouri on Saturday, Tide head coach Nate Oats said he heard inappropriate comments coming from the student section inside Mizzou Arena regarding Darius Miles.

The former Alabama basketball player is one of two men charged with capital murder in the shooting death of Jamea Jonae Harris last Sunday. Miles is being held without bond ahead of a probable cause hearing that has been set for Feb. 7. Miles was quickly dismissed from the basketball team after appearing in 53 games over 3 seasons.

Oats felt a line was crossed by some in the student section, but he also commended Missouri head coach Dennis Gates and the MU administration for how they handled the situation, per The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Dave Matter, saying “they got them outta there.”

Oats said prior to the game on Saturday he warned his team opposing crowds could bring up the situation.

“This isn’t something students should be joking about,” he said then, per AL.com’s Mike Rodak. “We have addressed it with our guys, and I hope the different schools we go to, the leadership there is making sure that they’ve got that under control, as well.”

The 4th-ranked Crimson Tide return home to host Mississippi State next Wednesday, Jan. 25. They head back out onto the road next Saturday, Jan. 28, to face Oklahoma in Norman.

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    • He’s not on the team and a young girl died leaving behind a 5 year old. Tragic situation That’s not something you joke about and make crude comments about. Glad they got kicked out.

      • First, I am not excusing the students. What they did was crass. Yes he was kicked off the team, BUT he was also recruited, participated, counseled, and allowed to break team rules (doubt this was his first issue with anger). He was there as a gifted athlete and a blind eye turned to who he was.

    • People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Just Google the words ‘Missouri player, arrested’ and look at all the Missouri athletes that have been arrested over the years for all sorts of violent crimes

        • So that is the only violent crime a fanbase should be upset about? He is no longer on the team. Appears Missouri coaches are not clairvoyant either.

        • And you think mizzou fans weren't upset because...? It seems like alabama fans aren't upset at all, or they wouldn't be jumping down our throats.

        • Seems like Mizzou fans like pointing fingers when it has had plenty of examples of violent athletes and are now trying to justify the behavior of their fans. Hence, all the comments about Bama fans who do not defend his actions. I believe that is called projecting.

    • Was just a handful of students but just shows how immature and classless some people are. Pray for the family and 5 yr old boy that lost his mother

    • One he's not on the team, two he supplied the gun, didn't pull the trigger, three, have some compassion for her family and his former teammates who had nothing to do with the incident.

      • “Have some compassion, as I sit here and defend the idiot who played for a team I have a rooting interest in by absolving him for supplying the murder weapon that killed the woman I’m currently asking you to have sympathy toward!” I know your a Bama fan, and can’t count to 5 unless it’s by the number of touchdowns Hyatt scored on you, but get a grip on reality you barnacle.

        • Funny, you are making fun of Bama fans for not being able to count to 5, but we at least know when to use your and you’re.

          Also, if you are going to quote someone, make sure you also know when to properly end your quotes. You added more words than what the original author said, so you are no longer quoting them.

          You must be one of those Tennessee fans where their mother drank some shine while she was pregnant with you. It shows.

        • Nobody defended him. People who read into that post that he did has no business condescending someone that can only count to 5. To the contrary it is the other way around Mr. Already!

      • Dale I don’t think murder is something to be made light of. But you’re WAY OUTA LINE saying he only supplied the gun. Whether you meant to or not, that’s a defense. He is as culpable as the dbag that pulled the trigger.
        Is the bammers fault? Is that the other kids on the teams fault? Of course not it’s all on him and the trigger puller. But get out of here with that weak @$$ defense of only supplying the gun.

    • brc...You Mizzou fans continue to set new lows for your school. Why the SEC ever allowed Mizzou into the SEC is baffling. Slither back under your rock.

    • Go offffffffffff, it's not our fault that your admin screwed up. We're just pointing out what you don't want to acknowledge. Can't bribe mizzou fans into silence.

    • You are a fking Low Life!! you mizzu fan That kid could have been on any team in America. You so Dumb asf you a**wipe ignorant ??? for your info he was not a murderer on the team sooooooo how is he or was a murderer when he was actually on the team??? It's you inbred retarded fans like you who are pure thrash trailer park.

        • Innocent until proven guilty is a bedrock of our judicial process. It provides for the justice system to administer judgement at the verdict, thus not being subject to mob rule.

        • I’m not the judge of who should be on college rosters. I’m writing what you can’t argue with. The NCAA can tell members how clean their recruits and team members histories have to be. They can also dictate eligibility limits for student athletes who are not good campus citizens. They can also penalize programs that don’t scrutinize. These guidelines would be more important than monitoring every comment ticket buyers make, BUT BOTH AFFECT THE QUALITY OF EVENTS. If you are not behind both these quality issues then you’re personally another target for the NCAA.

        • That would require knowing what the future will be. Nice try at defending the behavior of the Missouri students. It is not working.

      • Boohoo, Alabama isn't everyone's favorite team, in this case, you're taunted because you deserve it. Own it, do better, move forward.

    • You should know bud, Bama is absolved of all sins, past and future by St Nick and his merry band of willful idiots known as the Alabama fan base. Missouri was the only team in the wrong here. Not the one that had the gun-providing, enabling program known as Rama Jamma. Hell, they don’t even
      Suspend their players for hitting women, what’s an illegal gun trade amongst friends?

    • Yeah figure that out?, by adopting a name that has nothing to do with Tigers/ Missouri/ Columbia/ college/ the sport/ they think they have a license to be classless and retaliate against classless people on opponent’s campuses. So with this logic something ugly that happens on the road beyond Missouri’s control becomes something that can be controlled at home but needs a complaint first???? Or some dumb variation of this. By this logic if your opponents didn’t flush their toilets at their place you would do the same at home and maybe even set off smoke bombs outside the stadium like brainless sporting fans in foreign countries.

      • The antlers might be crass, but where's the lie? Were they the ones who killed that woman and left her kid an orphan? There are guilty parties, but they aren't wearing "mizzou" or "Antlers" on their shirts, jersies or sport coats.

        • This is about quality. You can’t fight a lack of citizenship quality on rosters by being low-classed in the grandstands. Fans can certainly make public protests, comments, etc., but how you protest matters. This is my problem with the Antlers and admittedly I don’t follow every exhibition they stage, but I do consistently hear and read that as a rule, they don’t take the highest ground. If Alabama knew a candidate had a citizenship deficiency and they put him in a uniform anyway this is open season for respectful public comments.

      • Oh Wolfy...

        FYI - Antlers have been around since 1976 and the name came from a Lily Tomlin dance on SNL that they mimicked in the stands.

        The PURPOSE of the section is to aggravate the opposing players so they can't concentrate on their game. (obviously didn't work last night)
        In the '80s, the group was encouraged to be disrespectful and annoying. It was just coincidence that they got the best midcourt seats every season (even with a lottery) - Only national student section that was more obnoxious was the entire DUKE student body at that time.
        Norm Stewart never had a problem with it. He had pre-season meetings with them -- It was obnoxious, but part of having a home-court advantage.
        oh well...

        • Not only did they always get the best midcourt seats in the lottery, but Mizzou in general did not give many tickets in A section to students. They definitely got preferential treatment to get those A16 seats for 30 years straight. There was resentment among students as most tickets that went to students were nosebleed C and D section.

  • He was a good boy!
    No indication whatsoever!
    She was a good mom! Just clubbin on the strip....lol

  • Please, please fellow Bama fans, do not even attempt to minimize what this young man did! In my humble opinion, he is just as culpable as the one that pulled the trigger. I know the Bama basketball team had nothing to do with this, but, they should expect rival students to go down that road. It's sad, but, that's the culture we live in!

    • I'm old enough to remember a certain Bammer fan that killed trees in AU. Bammer fans sure do like to act innocent.

  • It's probably the Antlers if they are still there. Most of the time they were ok, but they crossed the line many times while I was there in a very classless way. No idea if they've been disbanded yet, but they should have been 30 years ago. They always seemed to be able to get tickets next to the court while it was a pipedream of other students. So administration sanctioned it in some fashion even if it was "unofficial" They've always been a bad representation of Mizzou athletics and the dozen or so members do not accurately represent the 30,000 other students.

    • Did anyone know before he participated in a murderous act that he was going to participate in a murderous act? I didn't think so. Please explain what Bama could've done differently??

      • Your questions don't pertain to anything that I stated and they really don't make any sense anyway. Please explain why you think your questions make sense in response to anything I stated.

  • Lots of bama fans saying that they care about the family. Oh yeah? So why are you so so so eager to kick the story under the rug. You think the program that recruited him, ran a background check on him, had no idea at all what he was capable of or who his friends were? No wonder Oats wanted those kids removed. If you cared at all about the family (and werent cynically hoping the spotlight would just disappear with your hopes and prayers), you'd be in the mizzou student section joining us. We have held our admin responsible for sins a lot less severe than murder.

    • You might want to look at your own team’s history with violent athletes before casting a stone.

      • Read my last sentence again - Mizzou fans have, and will continue, to hold its program to account for its sins. To the detriment of its wins and losses. I think Mizzou has the only fanbase in the SEC that can say that. It's been painful to watch the decline since 2015 but in this moment, I'm glad. We might not have earned much since then, but a free conscience is one.

        • Sure it is. Sounds like Missouri fans are trying to justify the student behavior. You might have a point if he was still on the team but he is not. Since you can predict the future can you start up a gambling website?

    • You remember Jed Frost? Yeah, he played basketball for Mizzou and he killed someone recently. You really think Bama condoned murder? I don't think so. Don't play the high-and-mighty card.

      • I think Alabama took a gamble on a talented player with red flags that likely came up in his recruitment and development. I wasn't even alive when Jed Frost was a player and it has been 30 years since he was on the team - does that sound like the same situation? Either Alabama fans call for an investigation, or they accept this is a part of their brand. They can complain all they want for being ridiculed for it, but it's honestly their choice.

        • So now you're looking for the exact same situation in order to justify your stance? The guy at Alabama was let go once it happened. Violent situations have happened with our athletes too. Alabama took the correct action and let him go and there's an investigation that has already occurred and one that's ongoing. What else do you want them to do?

        • Nice try at justifying the Missouri student behavior. It is not working but you gave it your best shot with projecting blame for it on Bama.

  • I’ll never forgive or forget The Antlers chanting Yvonne at Nolan Richardson shortly after she died of leukemia, absolute scum. That’s also exactly what I think of the University of Missouri too, I wouldn’t pi$$ on their fans if their teeth were on fire.

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Derek Peterson