Greg Gumbel Rightfully Catches Heat For Saying Alabama 'Sidestepped' Criminal Situation With Brandon Miller

Published|Updated

Greg Gumbel suffered a case of word vomit while announcing Alabama as the No. 1 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament during CBS' Selection Show on Sunday evening.

While Gumbel deserves some credit for even mentioning Brandon Miller's name while referring to the Tuscaloosa murder that took place earlier this year, his choice of words was utterly abysmal.

“They sidestepped a situation involving criminal activity in which Brandon Miller was associated,” Gumbel said. “He was not charged. They are here as the No. 1 overall seed.”

The way he made the announcement was as if Alabama and Miller accomplished some sort of feat by "sidestepping" the criminal situation.

The "criminal situation" Gumbel so nonchalantly refers to involves a now-dead mother who was shot and killed with a gun Miller has admitted to transporting to the scene. Darius Miles, Miller's now former Alabama teammate, and Micahel Davis allegedly shot and killed Jamea Jonae Harris and are now facing capital murder charges.

Harris has not faced any discipline at all from law enforcement or the university. Tuscaloosa chief deputy D.A. Paula Whitley explained that “there’s nothing we could charge him with” when asked why Miller had not been charged with anything.

Gumbel's brief statement about the Crimson Tide avoiding a "criminal situation" that is, in fact, murder did not sit well with folks on social media.

Brandon Miller and the Crimson Tide will begin their 2023 NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Birmingham. It'll be interesting to see if the broadcast brings up the "criminal situation" at all or if the announcers avoid the facts like so many others seem to be doing.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.