Nate Oats defends Alabama response - 'Taking it very seriously'

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama men's basketball coach Nate Oats maintains that he believes the university and his program have done the right thing in continuing to allow star freshman forward Brandon Miller to play after his name appeared in connection with a January shooting.

«We've been taking it very seriously from Day 1. The first minute that I got the information, I called [AD] Greg [Byrne] and we talked about it and the severity of it,» Oats said at a news conference. «Greg, I thought, did a great job addressing those comments on Wednesday, and I really don't have much to add to it.

»We feel like we've done the right thing in this case. So I'm going to leave it at that with Greg's comments."

Miller's name was mentioned in testimony Tuesday by investigator Branden Culpepper as having driven the vehicle containing the gun used in the shooting to his then-teammate, Darius Miles, who had asked Miller to bring him the weapon.

Miles, who has since been removed from the Crimson Tide's program, and Michael Lynn Davis face capital murder charges in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris, who was shot near campus in the early morning hours of Jan. 15. Miles admitted to providing the gun used in the shooting, according to investigators, but said Davis fired the weapon.

Miller has not been charged with a crime, and Tuscaloosa Chief Deputy District Attorney Paula Whitley told AL.com on Tuesday that «there's nothing we could charge [Miller] with.»

Byrne told ESPN in an interview on the «College GameDay» podcast Wednesday that some of the «new information» that emerged — such as Miles' text message asking Miller to bring the gun to the scene — affected the school's decision to allow Miller to play Wednesday against South