One of two Alabama students allegedly beaten by a trio of Crimson Tide football players has spoken about his experience to The Crimson White, the university’s student newspaper. The open to Melissa Brown’s story is as follows:
“When Samuel Jurgens woke up on a sidewalk outside of Paty Hall shortly before 1 a.m. Monday morning, he thought he was dreaming. His face was numb, his headphones lay nearby, bloodied and broken, and he didn’t recognize where he was. His backpack, containing clothes, books and his Apple Macbook Pro, was gone.
Jurgens struggled to get up, fading in and out of consciousness, and stumbled toward Blount Hall, where he had spent the night hanging out with friends.
On his way across the parking lot between Paty and Blount, he placed a call to his friend, fellow sophomore Chris Burks.
‘I apparently called Chris while in that state,’ Jurgens said in an interview with The Crimson White Tuesday night. ‘I don’t have a recollection of that, but I told him something. Something bad has happened to me, I remember thinking before I faded out again.’
Burks, who had spent the evening with Jurgens, said Jurgens called him about 20 minutes after they had parted for the night. He sounded delirious, Burks said, and repeated ‘I don’t know what happened, I need your help,’ multiple times. Burks and another friend, Anna Richardson, hurried to meet Jurgens at the front door of the dorm.
‘His left side of his face was gigantic,’ Burks said. ‘The jacket he was wearing and his headphones were completely drenched in blood, the bottom half of his face was completely covered in blood; he was bleeding badly from his lip. He had clearly been badly beaten.’
Friends helped clean Jurgens up and called UAPD, who made a report and escorted him to DCH. To save Jurgens the costly ambulance fee, Burks drove his friend to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a mild concussion and received stitches to close up his busted bottom lip.”
Jurgens also said of the players who beat and kicked him: “It’s almost like they were doing it for fun, because it seemed weird that they didn’t rob me of my wallet or phone or keys. But I just know they sure did an efficient job because I can’t recall part of it even today.”
Nice.
The police reports — as we stated numerous times yesterday — reveal that Tide players Tyler Hayes and Eddie Williams admitted to the crime on Jurgens. Hayes also confessed to standing by as Williams and teammate DJ Pettway assaulted and robbed UA student Caleb Paul. And Williams admitted to police that he knocked both men unconscious.
As expected, the story continues to make national news and not just on sports websites. CNN is running this headline today: “From national championship to jail for 4 Alabama football players.”
Clearly CNN must have an anti-Tide agenda. Ditto The Birmingham News’ Kevin Scarbinsky (“Four arrested Alabama football players should’ve been dismissed, not suspended”) and TideSports.com’s Cecil Hurt (“UA, accused better off cutting ties”). After all, we made many of the exact same points yesterday afternoon on this site and we were alerted to our fiendish, all-encompassing anti-Bama bias immediately.
Judging from the emails we’ve received since that story was posted, here’s guessing the most popular writer in the state of Alabama today is actually Duane Rankin of The Montgomery Advertiser. He writes today that “Nick Saban took action. Swiftly.”
No offense to Rankin, but we wish he had provided the name of some coach, athletic department, or school that would not have taken some kind of action against four players accused of beating and robbing a pair of students. There was no way for Alabama to completely look the other way, so praising swift suspensions seems a bit odd. Aside from dismissals, UA had no other options.
The reality is that those players who confessed to committing violent crimes on the UA campus against two different students should have been removed from Alabama’s football team immediately. The other two should been suspended pending further investigation.
Instead, the University and it’s administration apparently have no problem with those young men being referred to as “University of Alabama football players” rather than “Ex-University of Alabama football players” in national headlines today.
And if that’s the school’s feeling, fine. Here’s hoping UA officials enjoy the additional attention this story will bring to their school and football program today.
Vast organizations like Universities have rules and procedures and they have to follow them to the letter of the law, or risk lawsuits. Delays such as these are always due to making certain you're doing things the right way, to the letter of the law so as to not risk any needless lawsuits or other legal ramifications.
Let's just say, John, I'm glad you're not a judge, a police officer, President of the United States, a doctor, a therapist or anyone of consequence in power. Knee-jerk reactions are for fans, which is exactly what you are...a fan, albeit one with a blog...like Clay Travis. And we all know what kind of person he is.
I'm sure you were probably right there along with Al Sharpton calling for the Duke Lacrosse players' heads after that person accused them of rape, and was eventually proven false.
People in authority don't have the luxury of your fandom and your knee-jerk, emotional decisions. A judge, President, police officer or in this case school/athletic dept. administrators must be precise, efficient with their decisions. Sometimes it tkes time. In this fast-food society we live in, we want instant-gratification, but most of the time the world doesn't work like that. Even though you get your double-whopper with cheese in under 5-minutes doesn't mean everything in our society works with the same swiftness you crave.
Knee-jerk decisions can often be the wrong one. You must gather information and check and re-check. At least that's what they teach you in journalism school about sources
And please stop with this made up combativeness between Bama fans and the media...at least on this story. I live in Alabama and I'm an alumnus of UA, and to a man...every single Bama fan and supporter wants these guys gone. No one is defending them. So stop trying to portray something that isn't there. It's cheap and very disappointing for you.
This could, and to certain degrees, has happened at other schools. No, the actions of a 4 guys who have gone to Alabama for less than a year do not represent the 32,000 students and over 100,000 living alumni of Alabama, nor does it represent the 4.8 million people who live in the state of Alabama. So stop trying to make that connection.
@Interested observer The only knee jerk reaction here is from you. This is a sports information site, and yep its a blog. So, little education for you buddy, journalism is not a profession, anybody who can type can try to do it, but the fact anybody can do it does not denegrate the capabilities of this site, its just the way the world is. The guys who work this blog have credibility because of their track record in reporting. When it comes to sports, integrity and the ability to perform analysis the guys on this site do very well. Do I disagree with them much? Actually, not very often, and usually they end up with the right take. Pennington tends to be pretty precise in what he writes. The track record here is, if you think its a knee jerk reaction, read it again after taking a time out. Its almost always more accurate than the first read.
And, most of the guys who read this site are pretty well informed. They catch stuff. Nailed me more than once on an error in facts and or judgement. That means the folks who read this are pretty well read. Ask yourself, since the readers seem to know what they are talking about, why would they read it if it was full of knee jerk reactions?
I hope you aren't a teacher! Good grief...what a bunch of gibberish! Do you even read what John wrote? Did you even read the articles on these players? It makes me wonder b/c you are comparing 2 players that CONFESSED to the Duke Lacrosse players who did NOT confess. That is a HUGE difference. Do you think if you worked for a major company like, were arrested for a crime, and confessed to it that your employer would put you on temporary leave? If so, buddy, I've got some ocean front property in Arizona for you at a very cheap price. The whole key to John's arguement regarding the two players is they CONFESSED. This isn't really rocket science. As for the judge, police office, and POTUS...they all work within the legal realms, granted, the POTUS could 86 you in a flash if he wanted. And, as for the doctor and therapist comment, they have a different responsibility to you, but, I'm sure they could refuse service to you as well. None of the comparisons you make are germane to this article. Maybe next time you post something, you won't try to act like you are objective and accuse someone else as being emotional.
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I address this not to John specifically, but to any and all in general, including John:
Even if football is our overriding and all-consuming influence (hint - it is not), given the level of talent in Tuscaloosa right now and the shadow of the accomplishments of the last five years, is there anyone who believes that any Alabama fan would go to the mat for any one of these four individuals in the face of these allegations? Even if football is our only factor, we are not speaking of AJ, CJ, or TJ. Is there anyone who believes that Nick Saban is of any other opinion? Why do people insist on slamming Bama for crossing i's and dotting t's? Patience, my friends.
@I4Bama I agree with you that Bama should take its time dealing with this. It always bothers me when a lynch mob forms and wants immediate action. Although this sounds like a horrendous crime and the players deserve dismissal, Alabama should take a step back, investigate and give consideration to their findings before acting. The players are suspended and no longer are representing the team or university. I don't see any need for hurry.
@AGator @I4BamaActually, if they are "suspended", then they ARE still part of the team. If they were "dismissed" from the team, then they would no longer be a part of the team. Bama should investigate the 2 players that did not confess. But, the two players that did confess to the crime (which was the most brutal part of this particular crime) should immediately be booted. I really don't understand all this confusion when someone actually confesses and when this is not a legal matter when it comes to booting a player.
Has anyone seen or read the confession? Confessing to having been in the neighborhood at the time of the incident could turn into confessing comission of the crime after it is repeated a time or two. IF they confessed and are guilty, I will be the first in line to take their playbooks (though I will probably have to fight CNS, which is ok because I am bigger than him). They are not in danger of any playing time currently, so there is no need to rush. The truth will be told and there will be consequences. There may be more to it. It is impossible to know without a key to the athletic department or president's office.
I don't think I "slammed" Alabama. I said the school should have dismissed the two players who've already confessed to brutally attacking and robbing two fellow students.
If I'd written some fan-driven gibberish like this -- "Those scumbag cheaters over in T-Town are gonna cover this one up just like everything else" -- THAT would be a slam. And it would be stupid.
I've written nothing of the kind. No slams. Simply stated my opinion and then wrote that I hope no one complains about the national exposure this story brings the university and its football team. The school could have booted the two who've admitted guilt but they chose to delay. So the nation's stories will continue to refer to the players as "Alabama players" and not "Ex-Alabama players."
Just making my points. I have nothing against UA, Nick Saban, or Mal Moore. I just think they could have and should have acted more quickly with regards to the two players who've already admitted guilt.
Thanks as always for reading,
John
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Crossing t's and dotting i's. It has been a long time since I learned to write. I mostly type now.
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I think there has already been more than enough "eye dotting" by Bama football players...
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@I4Bama If what you are saying is that these thugs will EVENTUALLY be dismissed from the team and also dismissed from the University, I agree 100%. It will just take some time to get all the legalities documented and signed-off by the lawyers.
John, you and I don't always see eye to eye on things but we do on this. Good write up. ANY SEC program that would allow this type of behavior doesn't deserve to be called SEC. I personally don't foresee these guys being part of the Bama program for long.
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Agreed. If the confessions were given, I think Hayes and Williams will/should be dismissed soon. Pettway will likely follow. Calloway would be the only player with much chance of remaining on the team as he did not take part in the beatings/robberies.
Thanks for reading,
John
John, You have been 100% correct regarding this story. These individuals I see talking about "due process" are clueless about its meaning. If I committed a violent crime and my employer found out and asked me point blank if I did it and I said, "yes, I committed that crime", I highly doubt my employer would put me on temporary leave pending my court date. Those two individuals that confessed should be kicked off the team now. Until then, Alabama deserves all the ridicule it gets from this story. And, saying Saban took swift action...the only action less swift would be running the stairs. Good grief.
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