The college football national championship game had barely ended when speculation began on where Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts would transfer after freshman backup Tua Tagovailoa replaced him at halftime and led the Tide to victory.
Like many, I join every coach in America in hoping Hurts will remain at Alabama and fight for his job. If anyone can juggle two quarterbacks, it is Nick Saban, winner of six national championships.
The ESPN cameras were positioned for a reaction Monday night after Hurts was pulled from the game. Would he retreat into the background and sulk or cause a scene with a coach like Mekhi Brown did later in the game?
He did neither.
Hurts displayed exemplary behavior and showed a national TV audience what a team player should be. He became the head cheerleader for the Tide and was often the first to meet his replacement when Tagovailoa came off the field.
During the postgame celebration, I cringed when an ESPN reporter approached Hurts for comment. But the sophomore with a 26-2 record as a starter again displayed class with a camera in his face.
“I knew he was gonna step in and do his thing,” Hurts told ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi. “We have a lot of guys in the QB room that play really well and he just stepped in and did his thing.”
More than a few people on Twitter later that night suggested Hurts was raised right, so let’s put the names out there. Jalen is one of three children raised by Pamela and Averion Hurts. Pamela is a school teacher and Averion is a football coach.
With that kind of guidance, we shouldn’t have been surprised about how Jalen reacted. Talent matters. Hard Work matters. Behavior matters, especially when millions were watching Monday on college football’s biggest stage.
Now, let’s contrast the Hurts from Texas to the basketball clan from California that ESPN obsesses over.
I pledged months ago I would never use the father’s name in this space and I will refer to him today as Big Bawler Blowhard. Big Bawler Blowhard lives through his three sons of varying ages and basketball ability. Not only does Big Bawler Blow-hard cause trouble wherever his kids play, he even pulled one of them out of school at UCLA to play basketball in Lithuania.
Think about that for a moment. A player who was on scholarship and in position to receive a free education from a major university in America was jerked out by his father to satisfy his own shortcomings as an athlete.
If that’s not parental abuse, I don’t know what is.
Some have argued Big Bawler Blowhard is only doing what is best for his children’s future, but the evidence is Big Bawler Blowhard uses his children to benefit Big Bawler Blowhard. Hopefully, the boys won’t develop serious problems like Todd Marinovich, who was programmed at a young age by his father, Marv, to become a star in the NFL.
It didn’t happen, and Todd Marinovich is remembered today more for his drug abuse and numerous arrests than anything he did on the football field.
Alabama will enjoy its accomplishments for a while before the process starts all over again during spring practice. The quarterback battle between Hurts and Tagovailoa will garner much attention, but if anyone can handle the situation, it is Saban.
Oh, and for those who continue to stir up division, the freshman from Hawaii has a message for you.
“Tired of people not appreciating the fact that this man (Hurts) led us to the National Championship,” Tagovailoa posted on his Twitter account. “For all the fans that are against Jalen, you against me too.”
So, congratulations to Alabama on its national championship.
Congratulations to Georgia for a game well-played.
Congratulations to Tagovailoa for his stellar performance.
And congratulations, especially, to Jalen Hurts, who chose to shine during his darkest hour.
Rick Fires can be reached at rfires@nwadg.com or on Twitter@NWARick.