Alabama's Brandon Miller Should Be Suspended For Role In Murder, And So Should Coach Nate Oats: Guilbeau

If a friend calls you after late on a Saturday night that has turned into Sunday and asks you to bring his gun to him at a bar along a strip of bars, it is not because he is preparing for a gun show and wants to clean it.

Alabama freshman guard Brandon Miller, 20, brought his former teammate, Darius Miles, a gun under these circumstances on Sunday, Jan. 15. Miles, 21, then gave the gun to his childhood friend, Michael Davis, 20, of Washington D.C. Then, Davis allegedly used it to shoot and kill Jamea Jonae Harris, a 23-year-old mother of a young child.

DARIUS MILES: BRANDON, GET MY GUN

Miles and Davis remain in jail on capital murder charges in Tuscaloosa. Tuscaloosa Police questioned Miller on Jan. 15 and/or Jan. 16 about that night, but he has not been charged with any crime. Tuscaloosa Police violent crimes detective Branden Culpepper testified Tuesday in front of District Judge Joanne Jannik at the Tuscaloosa County courthouse in a preliminary hearing that Miller brought Miles' gun to Miles.

"There's nothing we can charge him with according to the law," Tuscaloosa County assistant district attorney Paula Whitley said after the hearing to AL.com reporter Carol Robinson. She covered the hearing that lasted two and a half hours.

Brandon Miller Brought Darius Miles' Gun To Miles

"What it comes down to is intent and knowledge," Robinson told OutKick 360 later Tuesday. "The way I understand it is when Darius Miles asked (Miller) for his gun and gave it to Michael Davis, he knew that things were about to go down. Brandon Miller had no knowledge of intent that something was about to go down."

That last sentence is hard to believe. But let's say, maybe he didn't know fully. But surely Miller knew nothing good was about to go down near a bunch of bars.

And for that reason, Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats should have suspended Miller for several games for seriously bad judgment as soon as he learned on Jan. 15 or 16 of Miller's involvement. Since he did not, Oats should suspend Miller now for multiple games - if not for the rest of the season.

Tuscaloosa Police could have possibly charged Miller with accessory to murder, which is "helping or assisting a perpetrator before or after the commission of a murder," according to general state laws.

An accessory before the fact "is a person who aids another before that person commits a felony."

If Miller does not bring Miles' gun to Miles, who gave it to Davis, there is a good chance Jamea Jonae Harris is alive today. If Miles requested the gun for self-defense, and Miller didn't bring it to him, maybe Miles and Davis would have left the bar and gone home.

Michael Davis (left) and his friend, former ex-Alabama basketball player Darius Miles, have been jailed in Tuscaloosa since Jan. 15 for the murder of a 23-year-old woman. Miles was kicked off the team at that time. (Credit: Tuscaloosa County Jail)

Amid the circumstances, sounds like a great idea. At the bar, Davis showed interest in Harris, according to police, but she was not interested. Davis didn't like that. Then Harris' boyfriend on the scene got angry. He also had a gun, but Davis fired first, according to testimony on Tuesday. Then the boyfriend shot back, and Miller's car windshield nearby got hit. Miller never entered the bar.

Judge Jannik denied bail to Miles and Davis and moved the case to a Grand Jury, which will decide if the evidence warrants indictments, which are formal charges.

"The Court, having heard the evidence in a preliminary hearing, finds sufficient evidence was presented to establish probable cause that the offense charged was committed by the defendant," Jannik said Tuesday. "Motion to set bond is denied."

Alabama Coach Nate Oats Needs To Discipline Brandon Miller

Charged or not by police, Oats needs to do more. But he won't. He is hiding behind the decision by the police not to arrest Miller.

The 6-foot-9 Miller is considered a top four pick in the NBA Draft this summer. He leads the Southeastern Conference in scoring with 18.7 points a game. Miller also leads No. 2 Alabama (23-4, 13-1 SEC for first) in rebounds with eight and is third on the team with 22 blocked shots.

Alabama, which was No. 1 last week, is considered a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which starts in mid-March. The Tide plays at South Carolina (10-17, 3-11) at 9 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN2. And Miller is expected to start as usual.

Miller signed with Alabama as a five-star prospect and McDonald's All-American out of Cane Ridge High in Antioch, Tennessee. The Mr. Basketball in Tennessee chose Alabama over national champion Kansas. Oats is not sitting the projected NBA lottery pick down.

"We knew about that," Oats said of Miller's gun delivery at a press conference Tuesday. "Can't control everything anybody does out side of practice. Nobody knew that was going to happen."

Nate Oats Made Ridiculous Statements

What a ridiculous statement. Oats sounds like Miller stayed out past curfew having a few beers.

Well, Miller didn't bring a beer to a gunfight. He brought the gun, Nate.

Of course, Nate Oats is the same man who reached out to former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis for advice on how to deal with the murder charge against Darius Miles. Lewis beat a murder charge in 2000.

"College kids are out," Oats continued in full denial or with just plain stupidity. "Brandon hasn't been in any type of trouble, nor is he in any trouble in this case, other than wrong spot at the wrong time."

Excuse me, Nate, Brandon Miller made the spot more wrong by bringing the gun to Miles and Davis at the time which resulted in murder.

Oats later Tuesday made additional comments.

"My statements came across poorly," he said of his previous comments. "In no way did I intend to downplay the seriousness of this situation or the tragedy of that night. My prayers continue to go out to Jamea Harris and her family."

But Oats did not take back his downplay of Brandon Miller's accomplice role.

Alabama President Needs To Step In

Now, that I've digested your comments again, coach Oats, Alabama president Stuart Bell should suspend you as well.

"Brandon's been interviewed (by police)," Oats said previously. "So, they're comfortable with everything that happened there."

Comfortable, Nate? They didn't arrest him, but comfortable is not the right word here.

Someone has to send a message to Brandon Miller, so he and his teammates and classmates will realize just how idiotic his decision was to bring a gun to a friend at a bar late on a Saturday night that had become Sunday morning. Usually, nothing good happens at this hour.

"We don't know exactly what Darius Miles said to Brandon Miller about bringing the gun," Robinson said on OutKick 360.

I'm sure it wasn't, "Hey bring the gun, we're going to the Krystal to get something to eat."

So, watch Alabama's game against South Carolina Wednesday night on television. Miller will play as if nothing happened.