The family of a young woman who was gunned down in a senseless murder involving Alabama basketball players has spoken out against Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats.
Earlier this week, Oats apologized after coming under withering criticism for downplaying the involvement of Alabama star guard Brandon Miller in the January shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
Oats said Miller "did nothing wrong" and was in "the wrong spot at the wrong time."
On Thursday, Harris' parents told Joseph Goodman of AL.com that Oats' comments were callous and "disrespectful."
“There was only one person in the wrong place at the wrong time and it was Jamea,” Harris' stepfather, Kelvin Heard, told the outlet. “When I heard him say that my heart hit the floor. His words cut so deep. It’s just downright disrespectful.”
On Tuesday, Miller, one of the nation's top college players and a projected NBA lottery pick, was cited by a police officer in court testimony in the capital murder case against Harris' alleged killers, Michael Lynn Davis and former Alabama player Darius Miles.
Miller allegedly brought a gun belonging to Miles to the crime scene, where it was then allegedly used by Davis, the accused shooter. Prosecutors said Miller would not be charged because, according to chief assistant district attorney Paula Whitley, "there's nothing we can charge him with."
Oats has apologized twice for his seemingly crude comments on the case, which were widely panned on social media.
Harris' family seems to feel much the same.
“He brought a gun to where a person was murdered and he did nothing wrong?” Heard told AL.com. “Jamea could still be alive.”
The tragic incident has derailed what was previously a dream season for the second-ranked Crimson Tide, fueling suspicions that the university is disinclined to take its best player off the floor on the eve of tournament season.
Heard says that "this season is stained in Jamea's blood," no matter the outcome.
“After what this coach said, for us as a family, this season is stained in the blood of Jamea Harris, and it’s not ever washing out. Coach Oats crossed the line. He said they prayed at practice. They weren’t praying for Jamea. They were praying for their own players.”
Harris, 23, left behind a 5-year-old son.
“There are only two tragic figures in this, and they are Jamea and Kaine, and that can’t get lost,” Heard said.
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