Monday, April 4, 2016

Calvin Ridley Cleared In Fake I.D. Probe; Tide DB Tony Brown Facing NCAA Suspension; Tide Softball Hands Gators First Shutout 3-0; Gymnastics To Compete In NCAA Evening Session; 4th-Ranked Men's Golf Finishes Third; Men's Tennis Defeats Ole Miss 4-3; Dylan Moses Is No Longer Listing Bama As His 1st Choice; 4-Star Tarik Black Lists Tide In Top 5



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WR Calvin Ridley Is Cleared In Fake I.D. Investigation


Alabama Wide Receiver Calvin
Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Sun-Sentinel article is reporting a fake I.D. investigation has cleared Alabama wide receiver CALVIN RIDLEY for any wrong-doing.  A security guard working at Monarch High School in Florida had alleged to Florida state investigators that the football coach at Monarch had approached him to make a fake I.D. for then-student Calvin Ridley.

It appears the purpose of the request for the fake I.D. was to allow another student to take the ACT college admissions test for Ridley. According to Monarch High School security guard Elvin McCray, high school coach Calvin Davis approached him in December 2014 and asking to make a student I.D. with Ridley's name on it but a picture of the student who was to take the test for him.

The state Board of Education conducted an investigation into the claims but found no evidence that Ridley was involved in any way, or that he even knew of the plan.

AL.com spoke with the county athletic director for the Broward County Athletics Association, Rocky Gillis, who said as far as he knew Ridley "wasn't involved at all."

Ridley said the coach never mentioned it to him, either in a joking manner or in a serious discussion. Coach Davis publicly denied the charges saying he believed the motivation behind McCray's allegations was anger over his son not playing on the varsity squad. Davis further stated he wasn't even at the school the day the conversation about the fake I.D. was supposed to have taken place.

Ridley took and passed the test, as well as had an outstanding freshman season for the national championship Crimson Tide football team.


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Tide DB Tony Brown Looking At NCAA Suspension


Alabama DB Tony Brown 


The Alabama Crimson Tide football team may be without the services of defensive back TONY BROWN for a portion or even all of the 2016 football season, according to Tidesports.com. Brown is facing what has been called "an indefinite suspension from the NCAA." The university has appealed and the suspension does "not involve any institutional rules violations."

During his initial spring practice press conference Saban did indeed acknowledge that Brown was "facing suspensions." Saban said, "When I get the final data on that I'll definitely let you know."

The 6' 0", 195-pounder out of Beaumont, Texas was sent home early from the Cotton Bowl game this past season for a violation of team rules. He also was not a part of the squad that traveled to play Clemson in the National Championship game. 

The former five-star recruit was rated the number four cornerback in the country according to Rivals, and the number 25 player overall in the class of 2014. The young man has had his problems, including being arrested for disturbing the peace and resisting arrest shortly after his arrival in Tuscaloosa.

Brown has competed in 26 games since his arrival at the University of Alabama. He is credited with 26 tackles overall, including two tackles for loss in his two seasons at the Capstone. He has participated in all of Alabama's spring practices so far this year. He has worked at the cornerback position, nickle back and safety. He also has been a part of the special teams.


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Crimson Tide Softball Hands Gators 1st Shutout



Bama Softball After Series Win Over No.1 Gators
Photo Credit: RollTide.com




The Alabama Crimson Tide softball team did what no other team has been able to do this season - shut out number on ranked Florida. Yesterday Alabama defeated the Florida Gators 3-0 to win the weekend series in Gainesville, Florida.

The Tide (31-7, 5-4 SEC) is the first Southeastern Conference team to win a series over the Gators   (34-3, 9-3 SEC) in over a calendar year and the first team to beat them twice all season. It was the solid pitching of the Bama bullpen as well as defense from Alabama that held Florida to just four runs over the weekend's three games, the Gators lowest total over a three-game stretch this season.

SYDNEY LITTLEJOHN (13-2) picked up her second win of the weekend in shutting out the Gators, holding them to just two hits and moving to 5-0 in conference play.

Next up for the Crimson Tide is a home game in Tuscaloosa with Mississippi Valley State (8-19) on 
Tuesday, April 5th at 6 p.m. CT.



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Alabama Gymnastics To Compete In NCAA Evening Session



Tuscaloosa Regional Champion Alabama Crimson Tide
Graphics/Photo: RollTide.com




The NCAA has announced that the Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics team, winners of the 2016 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, will compete in the evening session of the NCAA Championships Semifinals to be held Friday, April 15th in the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena. The competition is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT.

Just this past Saturday the Tide advanced to its 34th NCAA Championships at home in Coleman Coliseum. Alabama won its NCAA-best 31st regional championship and a school record 12th consecutive title.

Alabama has captured the National Championship six times now, and going for title number seven in 2016. Other past champions the Crimson Tide will face at the semifinals will be UCLA, Utah and Oklahoma. Bama also faces California and Nebraska at the competition. The defending national champion Florida Gators, as well as past champion Georgia plus Auburn, LSU, Stanford and Minnesota will be competing in the first semifinal sessions scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. CT.

The top-three teams from each semifinal advances to the NCAA Super Six Team Final. The competition is slated to begin Saturday, April 16th at 8 p.m. CT. Bama will have a bye to begin its semifinal run. The Tide will then begin their actual competition on the uneven bars. Next will be the balance beam and then move to a second bye. Alabama will then move to the floor exercise and complete the competition on the vault. The Crimson Tide is used to this particular rotation, having employed it to win last Saturday's regional.

This is the Crimson Tide's eighth consecutive year to compete in semifinal session II. Not only has Bama already faced UCLA and California this season, but the Tide has also competed against Florida, Georgia, LSU and Auburn from the afternoon semifinal session. 


 2016 Alabama Crimson Tide Gymnastics
Photo Credit: RollTide.com


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4th-Ranked Men's Golf Finishes Third


Photo Credit: RollTide.com



The fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide men's golf team finished in third place at the Mason Rudolph Championship yesterday. Bama completed the 54-hole event with a team total of 9-over par 861.

The gentlemen will now turn their attention to the postseason which begins April 15th with the 2016 Southeastern Conference Championship to be played in St. Simon's Island, Georgia. The competition is slated for April 15-17.

Alabama men's golf head coach JAY SEAWELL said, "The regular season is now done and we are heading in to the best part of college golf – championship season. We did a lot of things in the regular season that should help us as we head to the SEC Championship.

"This week was a learning experience for us. We played okay but we didn’t play winning golf. We weren’t able to execute the way we needed to in order to get the victory. We will take the lessons we learned this week and that will help us as we head into postseason play."


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Men's Tennis Defeats Ole Miss 4-3



Photo Credit: RollTide.com




The Alabama men's tennis team won its 14th match of the season yesterday by defeating the Ole Miss Rebels 4-3 at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center in Oxford, Mississippi. The Tide moves to 14-10, 5-5 SEC while the Rebels drop to 8-8, 3-6 SEC.

Crimson Tide head men's golf coach GEORGE HUSACK said, "A very courageous effort today by the guys, especially coming after Friday night's nail biter. I wasn't quite sure how we'd respond but knew we had the ability. I didn't say much before the first serve, and the guys owned it themselves. Great maturity and resolve.

"We had both physical and mental hurdles [yesterday]. BECKER (O'SHAUNESSEY) had the flu bug pretty bad and didn't travel up until today. He had the option to sit, but he looked at the staff and said, `I'm playing.' MAZEN (OSAMA) has been battling a hip injury and came out ready to go today against a tough opponent no matter how much his pain threshold was tested. Things weren't looking good for Matt (MATTHEW ROSSOUW) either, down a set and a break in the second. He picked up his intensity, and we all hopped on his energy bus to the finish line. Playing Ole Miss has produced some special moments for us and this experience adds to the memoirs."

Alabama will next play 25th-ranked Mississippi State. That match is slated for Sunday, April 10th with the first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.



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Bama No Longer Leads For Dylan Moses' Affections




Though Alabama was his solid number one choice since December 31st, the five-star linebacker and the nation's number two prospect DYLAN MOSES was merely flirting with other other schools, but he has now decided that another has claimed his affections. Moses at one time had been committed to play his college football at LSU but then decommitted. Shortly thereafter he listed the Alabama Crimson Tide as his first choice. In fact, Bama had remained his first choice as of this past week. But since his visits to LSU and Texas, Moses has announced that Texas now leads, with Bama dropping to number two.

The 6' 2", 225-pound linebacker transferred to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida from University Lab in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Moses' top five are now Texas, ALABAMA, LSU, USC and UCLA.


Moses told NOLA.com, "As far as the facilities and the state of Texas, I already loved it. I told myself at the end of my career I want to live in Houston. So as far as them trying to impress me with their facilities that was already done.

"All I wanted to hear was how I fit in the defense and as far as that conversation I really liked it and it went well and that's why I have them at number one."

Of course National Signing Day is still a long way away. This "third choice" may very well not be his last choice.


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4-Star Receiver Prospect Places Bama In Top 5


4-Star Receiver Prospect Tarik Black
Photo Credit: 247Sports

One of the top football prospects in the country has included the University of Alabama in his top five selections to continue his football career. 4-Star receiver TARIK BLACK made his announcement on Friday.

Black stands at 6' 4", weighs in at 208 pounds, and hails from Cheshire, Connecticut. He is ranked as the 15th best receiver in the nation and the No. 86 recruit overall according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Black's top five were in no certain order and included not only ALABAMA, but also Michigan, Notre Dame, UCLA and Stanford.