(posted 5/3/03)
Alabama Football Head Coach Mike Price Fired

Stability continues to elude the Alabama football program. University president Robert Witt terminated the employment of head football coach Mike Price for failing to conduct his "personal and professional life in a manner consistent with University policy." His comments came after a lengthy closed door meeting with the Board of Trustees Athletics committee. On this page, you can read a transcript of comments from former coach Mike Price. You can also read comments from some players including Brodie Croyle, Shaud Williams, Wesley Britt, Triandos Luke and Charlie Peprah, as well as comments from President Robert Witt.

Mike Price - Good afternoon. I have some notes here so I won't forget anything during my announcement today. Over the past several days, I've been upset about the rumors that have been swirling around about my conduct. I've had numerous truthful and honest discussions with the President and our Athletic Director ... and I might add, our fine athletic director Mal Moore who has dedicated many, many years of service to this University. I was proud to have been picked by him. I've had truthful and honest discussions regarding my conduct with these two gentlemen. And I have to apologize from my heart about my errors in judgment. Publicly, (clears throat) I want to apologize to my wife, to my family, to the team and the coaches. The athletic department support staff has been just tremendous. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. They've been standing up for me ... the players have, the coaches have, the secretaries. Two of my graduate assistants and secretaries wrote letters to the President. I had two equipment managers from the football team walk over and sat there for an hour for an opportunity to talk with the President on my behalf. So I really appreciate you standing by me and standing up for me. I beg for your forgiveness, and I pray to God every day for his forgiveness.

To the University and the entire Bama nation, I admit making mistakes and at times inappropriate conduct. But I also ask you for your forgiveness. I come to appreciate the honor and the privilege associated with Alabama football and the program and the history and tradition of this place. And to realize that I may have adversely affected the program in any way is really personally devastating to me. (choking back the emotion) But I want to make this perfectly clear to everyone listening, I pledge to everyone, any place in the country not just to Alabama, that something like this will never ever happen again to Mike Price. I will learn from this, and I will seek help to improve certain areas of my personal life that need improvement.

I've asked President Witt for a second chance, and he declined. What ever happened to a second chance in life? I've been doing this for many years, and you don't have to go many places to ask my players about second chances in life. But President Witt did not give me that opportunity. I wanted to make something positive out of this negative. I really truly believed that the University of Alabama is bigger and better than this, that we could have overcome this. Why do we have a University. What is a University? A real quick definition is a University is a place of higher learning. That's what they call it, higher learning. It's about teaching people about life, real life. Real life mistakes. Overcoming real life mistake and adversity. Growing from a teenager into a man. Sending people out into the real world. I really felt like this was an opportunity for the University to stand up and stand behind me and stand behind someone they said they believed in and help him be a better person and overcome this and learn from it. Students, players, faculty, alumni ... everyone. I didn't get that opportunity. I don't know how many people would be in the world if they made one mistake and you're done. This University's image is about real people. About changing people's lives. For years and years it has stood behind it's people. Through adversity, through mistakes it has made. But not this time. I felt like I could have been the one to have carried us through this. It would have been a great lesson. This whole lesson could have been more important than any sports talk show, any Internet, any football game, any football player. It's more important. I'm not talking about football games and football players. I'm talking about lessons in life. And I could have been an example, and will be an example of seeing what happens to you when you make a mistake and get knocked down. And I'm going to show everyone what kind of person Mike Price is.

In football, I call them teaching opportunities. "Here's an opportunity to do this son." And this I felt like was an opportunity for the University. I don't feel like the punishment meets the crime. I strongly feel that I was the man that could have put this behind us. I think President Witt is making a mistake. He's not breaking the law, but he's making an error in judgment. Will he be judged by making errors in judgment, and when he makes a mistake or a professor make a mistake on campus, is this what's going to happen to them? Are you going to give them a second chance if they make an error in judgment. This, I don't not think, is the best thing for this program right now at this time ... this football team or these football players. One week ago, I could have made a statement. But at the request of President Witt I was asked not to say anything. And I dutifully did my job and didn't say anything. And then I didn't get an opportunity to go into the Board of Trustees and give them my side of the story. I just don't think it's right.

To my players, I wish you ... (begins to get choked up) ... To my players, I wish you the best of luck in everything you do, and I'll always be there for you. I love every one of you guys and you know that. We've only been together four months and yet you are willing to stand up and sacrifice years of eligibility in your career to stand by me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that (voice trembling). And I love every one of you to death. I'll tell you what, I don't know if you remember four months ago, but I think you felt like I came here as a man of dignity and class. And I'm going to go out as a man of dignity and class. One mistake will not change the character and integrity I've had for 57 years. I'm going to get through this and I'm going to be a better person because of it. I hope that you will respect my privacy for the next few days, and the privacy of my family. I'm not going to be making any more comments and neither will they. I would appreciate your help in that. Sorry, no questions.

(as Price leaves the podium, he hears a hearty and sustained applause from the large number of fans who have assembled to witness his firing)

University President Dr. Robert Witt

Mike Price

Brodie Croyle, Wesley Britt, Shaud Williams, Triandos Luke, Charlie Peprah

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