That picture comes from the blog Alabama Gameday, who also links to a thread on the TideSports fourm where a member says he emailed the Tuscaloosa chief of police and "addressed the issue of credibility (and the growing lack thereof), and asked that he check into it and have it removed if possible." The poster says the chief responded by having the tag removed from the unit.
Now, this all might seem kind of petty until you understand the growing unease of an Alabama fan base that has seen more players arrested (8) than wins (7) in the year since Nick Saban took over the program. Tuscaloosa seems to be one of the college towns where arresting a student-athlete is a trophy of sorts for the local po-po; a statement that anybody is fair game, but especially those who make headlines. That may or may not be a fair assessment, but it's a growing concern in places where high-profile students seem to get in more trouble than the average student.
Consider, however: if the Auburn-fan cop with the Tiger plate on his cruiser wasn't targeting Bama players before, he sure could be now that he's been singled out himself.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 2)
1. what a totally useless article- this is a sports blog? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
But what a totally useful comment. LOL on, brah. -- Andy Katzer
Posted at 8:04AM on Mar 5th 2008 by Randal Palm
2. Wow Andy I think you may have blown the cover on a major police corruption scandal. Where does AOL find some of these moron sport bloggers?
Do you mean I didn't expose a deep-seeded scandal that could bring down the TPD? And I was trying so very hard. You have destroyed my life's work; I am injured, sir. -- Andy Katzer
Posted at 9:17AM on Mar 5th 2008 by rob
3. Cough... Photoshop... cough.
I live in Tuscaloosa. Seeing this is something I'd remember.
I thought photoshop, too, but the folks on that TideSports forum swear it's real. I think it's funny either way... but I could be alone in that. -- Andy Katzer
Posted at 9:48AM on Mar 5th 2008 by Elliott
4. "but the folks on that TideSports forum swear it's real" . . . The folks at tide sports forum also swore that Steve Spurrier was going to be the next Alabama coach. I wouldn't call anything fact that you read on a sports forum. But that's just me.
Posted at 10:14AM on Mar 5th 2008 by nashvilletider
5. No photoshop. I live in Tuscaloosa too. This is legit. And the chief had this tag removed. Wonder what AU folks would think is one of their cops sported a Bama tag on their cruiser?
Posted at 10:49AM on Mar 5th 2008 by Bama1977
6. Maybe the reason high-profile students SEEM to get in more trouble than the average student is because they're high-profile and it makes the news.
That being said, police around the country can be found harassing college kids. At UCSB, police literally hide in the bushes to catch college kids with a beer in their hands. Way to protect and serve...
Posted at 11:17AM on Mar 5th 2008 by Wise
7. Or maybe high profile students could simply stop breaking the law
Posted at 11:19AM on Mar 5th 2008 by Mike
8. Bama is so desperate to be relevent again that they will take any athletic thug they can find. That is why there has been such a dramatic increase in the arrest of Bama players.
Posted at 11:34AM on Mar 5th 2008 by JumpN Jack Flash
9. What would ever lead you to believe that white police officers in Alabama would mistreat young black men?
Posted at 11:43AM on Mar 5th 2008 by Befuddled
10. Befuddled, where do you see the race of the officer in question? There are many police officers in Tuscaloosa that are black. And speaking as someone who has lived in many states alabama is no more racist than any other state in fact it is much less so than many so called liberal northern states which I had the displeasure to call home.
Posted at 11:58AM on Mar 5th 2008 by todd92
11. Todd,
Maybe that speaks more to the company that Alabamans keeps when they leave the state. Birds of a feather, flock together...
Posted at 12:58PM on Mar 5th 2008 by Bama: Home of George Wallace
12. I don't think it matters so much the officer had an Auburn tag, as much as it was on a patrol car ostensibly owned by the City of Tuscaloosa.
I work for Mississippi State University, but I have my Ole Miss alumni tag on my car, operative word MY personal car. If the car was state-owned, that'd be another story.
Posted at 1:15PM on Mar 5th 2008 by BullyDawg
13. Befuddled- Try reading about what some of these players were arrested for before making ignorant statements. One player was arrested for armed robbery, two for assault, one for criminal mischief, a basketball player for credit card fraud and the latest a player for shoving a boucer down while getting kicked out of a club. How you interpreted these criminal acts which would have civilian complaintants into "white police mistreating young black men" is beyond me. Although what can I expect from a guy that calls himself Befuddled?
Posted at 1:38PM on Mar 5th 2008 by rob
14. University of Alabama Tuscaloosa--Home of the $100 hand shake. Is there any wonder with longstanding ethics like these that there will be misconduct by the gangsta thug players on the roster.
At UAT, misconduct by players is tolerated as long as they help win football games. How about DJ Hall's 1 game suspention being lifted at half time of the Lousiana Monroe game (which they still ended up losing).
Posted at 2:48PM on Mar 5th 2008 by JumpN Jack Flash
15. I agree that any vanity plate should not be on a government owned vehicle.
Unfortunately for me, my comment above is not funny or interesting enough to get an Andy Katzer editorial note shoved into the middle of this post.
I will try harder though. Witness: @Bama 1977: You would never have an Auburn cop sporting a Bama tag. Most Aubs are armed and would surely have already peppered it with buckshot--cop or no cop.
Andy?
Sorry, WEA, I only respond to personal attacks and flame bait. Call me a moron or demand that AOL fire me post haste, and you'll have my undying attention. -- Andy Katzer
Posted at 5:50PM on Mar 5th 2008 by War Eagle Atlanta
16. this is photoshopped, or maybe somebody lost a bet on the game. no way this could be real.
Posted at 10:24PM on Mar 5th 2008 by rolltide12
17. Befuddled, do you mean the same george wallace that was elected his last two terms by the black vote of the state? You are the last person in the world to judge me as a racist bedcause there is not one racist bone in my body..... I detest racism. But I also detest some smartass yankee or outsider who stereotypes or tries to make every issue into a race issue.
Posted at 10:10AM on Mar 6th 2008 by todd92
18. I've wondered, over the past few months, if the Tuscaloosa was using the "Disorderly Conduct" charge as a billy-stick. I've seen a surge in these arrests, and not just athletes. While the story of the tag is surely amusing to us Auburn fans, Andy Katzer's post did little to solve that riddle. Of course, I'm sure he's got things to do other than pouring over arrest statistics and crime reports!
On the other hand, regarding the wee hours alcohol arrests... After a late night incident where I lost a shoe, got my glasses broken, and a black eye, my dad had a piece of advice for me. "Son, nothing good ever happens after midnight." He was right.
Posted at 11:25AM on Mar 6th 2008 by Acid Reign
19. You should feel flattered, Todd, because that guy went to the trouble of creating a whole new moniker just to try and counter you.
Didn't work, though. Wallace was elected to two additional terms, and could not have done it without the black vote.
Game, set, match--Todd 92!
Posted at 12:02PM on Mar 6th 2008 by War Eagle Atlanta
20. @15: YES!!! Thanks, Andy!
See, Pete Holiday would never give that kind of personal attention... :-)
He would if you called yourself "Brian Cook." I kid, I kid... --Andy Katzer
Posted at 12:04PM on Mar 6th 2008 by War Eagle Atlanta