The Alabama Crimson Tide has decided to dismiss the four players that were arrested and charged with either second-degree robbery or credit card fraud, deciding that they should no longer be associated with the program.
According to ESPN.com, head coach Nick Saban and the school decided to dismiss the four freshman players after they were arrested and the school awaited a ruling from the Student Judicial Board. The report said that defensive back Eddie Williams, 20, and linebackers Tyler Hayes and D.J. Pettway, both 18, all were dismissed after being involved in separate robberies on the Tuscaloosa campus on Feb. 11.
Redshirt freshman back Brent Calloway was dismissed by the school as well after being charged with suing a stolen credit card from one of the students that was allegedly robbed originally. According to the report, it was not the first time he has had a run-in with the law, as he was also charged with second-degree possession of marijuana as a true freshman in 2011.
"Based on all the information we've received and going through and trying to determine the future of the four guys that got in trouble, those guys are no longer associated with the football program," Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said on Wednesday. "Their actions do not reflect the spirit and character that we want our organization to reflect. It's obviously very disappointing and unacceptable what happened."
Williams was a former five-star recruit from Florida and he confessed to robbing a student who had been hit in the face and the head. The report also says that Williams said Pettway and Hayes witnessed him commit another robbery, according to court records. Calloway later said he used the stolen card to purchase items from a vending machine.
Saban added to his statement, saying that the players were "not associated with the football program, that's the way I'd put it," and then later added, "Some people learn by words. Some people can learn by consequences. Some people can't learn."
The four players were not major contributors to the team during its run to back-to-back national championships and served in backup roles. According to officials stats, Pettway had 2.5 sacks and four tackles for loss while being named to the All-SEC freshman team, while Hayes had 14 tackles during the season, including two in the BCS game against Notre Dame, which resulted in a blowout win for the Crimson Tide.
"UA's judicial review has been completed," Deborah M. Lane, Alabama associate vice president for university relations, said Wednesday. "The four students involved in the robberies on campus are no longer enrolled in UA."
