Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton is facing scrutiny after a video appears to show him making contact with a female Tennessee fan following the Crimson Tide’s 52-49 loss to the Volunteers over the weekend.
Following a game-winning field goal by Tennessee at the end of regulation, Volunteers fans stormed the field inside Neyland Stadium. During the celebration, Burton appeared to reach out and strike a female fan on his way back to Alabama’s locker room.
A separate video appears to show Burton pushing a different Tennessee fan earlier on his way off the field.
Wednesday morning, Alabama released a statement from Nick Saban regarding the incidents.
“We are aware of the situation with Jermaine Burton as he was exiting the field Saturday,” Saban said in the statement. “We are currently working to gather more information.”
Last year, Alabama dealt with a flood of Texas A&M fans who stormed Kyle Field following the Aggies’ upset win over the Crimson Tide. Saban suffered multiple bruises from collisions with fans while trying to exit the field. Wednesday, the 70-year-old head coach said he was able to make it out of Neyland Stadium unscathed over the weekend.
The SEC announced Sunday that Tennessee would be fined $100,000 for fans storming the field following Saturday’s game. Wednesday, Saban was asked if he’d like to see the conference change anything in its approach to handling such situations.
“I think it’s a difficult situation for the league,” Saban said. “It’s a difficult situation for all of us that are in this situation. We certainly don’t condone any mistreatment of anybody, whether they should or shouldn’t be there. I think you’ve got to have respect for other people. At the same time, it’s a difficult situation for all of us.”