MIAMI GARDENS, Florida — Alabama reserve defensive lineman LaMichael Fanning celebrates after the Tide’s 42-14 win over Notre Dame by waving the big crimson flag:
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The Southeastern Conference will not suspend Alabama defensive lineman LeMichael Fanning for body slamming Missouri running back Russell Hansbrough, but that doesn’t mean the freshman got off without punishment.
Whether that punishment includes not making the trip this weekend to Tennessee, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban won’t say.
“We’re handling his poor judgement internally,” Saban said Wednesday morning on the SEC coaches’ teleconference.
Saban added this is a “family matter” and that the emphasis is on Fanning learning from his mistake.
“Everybody is satisfied with what we’re doing,” Saban said.
All Saban has revealed about the punishment is Fanning had to write letters of apology to Missouri coach Gary Pinkel and Hansbrough.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Saban said. “Everybody makes mistakes. We all make them. We’re all human.
“But when we make them, we need to, A, understand there are consequences, and, B, there’s a right way to try to handle it.”
During Pinkel’s time on the conference call, he said he knows Saban.
“He doesn’t teach anything like that ever,” Pinkel said. “Thankfully, nobody was hurt. It was a very dangerous act. I don’t think there was any malice.”
In case you missed it, here’s video of Fanning’s hit and the two plays that followed when Missouri’s offensive line delivered its own punishment for the Tide player:
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Alabama coach Nick Saban said Monday that LaMichael Fanning showed “very, very poor judgement” when he tackled Missouri running back Russell Hansbrough by picking him up and slamming him into the turf Saturday in the Tide’s 42-10 win.
Fanning was flagged for a personal foul penalty for the move, which is known as a “suplex” by professional wrestling fans.
“I think this is a young player who’s excited about getting into the game, makes very, very poor judgment on making that play,” Saban said. “It’s something that we don’t condone here. It’s not how we want our players to play. I think he understands that what he did was not done in the right way in terms of being a strong competitor, and we are managing internally things for him to do to make better choices and decisions in the future.”
A 6-foot-7, 298-pound redshirt freshman defensive lineman, Fanning will face internal discipline, and Saban said that includes writing letters of apology to Hansbrough and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. The Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune reported Pinkel said he received an apology from Saban on Sunday and an email from Fanning.
“I talked to Gary about it,” Saban said. “He understands our position on it.”
Video of Fanning’s hit:
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