DEAR ABBY: I am 57 and have been married for 32 years to my husband, who retired from his full-time job last year. I still work full time. Since his retirement, he has been going to a bar once a week or so, spending a few hours visiting with the customers and staff.
One of the staff has taken an interest in being his “buddy.” My husband is outgoing and somewhat flirtatious. The staff member is a younger, female bartender who he invites to our home bar for drinks. They have also established a social media relationship and send text messages.
When I had an out-of-town trip planned, they concocted a plan for her to come over for cocktails with another of our friends. They planned to keep it a secret because “I might become upset.” I found out and DID become upset and have remained so.
I have discovered other messages, and I no longer trust my husband. I don’t think they are in a physical relationship, but despite his reassurances, I can’t let go of what might have been shared about me and feel a deep sense of betrayal. How can I move forward? — SUSPICIOUS IN WASHINGTON
DEAR SUSPICIOUS: What the bartender and your husband are doing is inappropriate. It might be worthwhile to ask her employer whether there are any rules about their staff socializing with patrons outside the establishment. As to your lack of trust in your “flirtatious” husband, under these circumstances it is understandable. Marriage counseling may help to repair your relationship. Offer him the option of going with you, and if he refuses, go alone.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
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We all hope to live long lives, at least as long as we’re healthy. But in Alabama, the life expectancy is only 75.2 years, according to U.S. News and World Report. This puts us among the ten states with the shortest lifespans. We rank about 48th, along with other states who don’t have easy access to health care and live close to the poverty line, asking ourselves what we can afford to buy: groceries, gas, or blood pressure meds?
Of course, some people shorten their lives or someone else’s by smoking, excessive drinking, careless driving, or picking up a gun that’s not loaded, except it is.
But there are other places where people live long and productive lives. Sweden is one of them. And one of its citizens, the writer Margareta Magnusson, tells readers how to age exuberantly, as she puts it. “The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly—Life Wisdom from Someone Who Will Probably Die Before You,” is her second book, the first being “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.” In spite of its grim title, it’s a practical, instructive book about cleaning out your drawers, closets, and garage space while you’re living so that your children don’t have to do it when you aren’t.
Magnusson gives her age as “somewhere between 80 and 100.” One book reviewer said she was “about 91.” Whatever her age, her life wisdom fits all ages. In fact, I’m buying several copies for Christmas gifts for people in my age category so we can live exuberantly in the time we have left.
She’s lived all over, and she writes about providing a home for her husband and five children in Annapolis, Singapore, and her native Sweden. In each place she’s lived, she emphasizes the importance of volunteering. In Annapolis, while still struggling with learning proper English, she volunteered in the library of her children’s school. On weekends, she volunteered to take her children and their friends to the movies, hoping that would improve her English. When she paid for the tickets for a film called “Alice in Wonderland,” the usher whispered that she might not want to take the children to that film. It was a pornographic version of the children’s tale.
As the family moved again and the children grew up, she lost her dear friend and husband, Lars, and eventually moved into an apartment in Stockholm. Here she began her practice of living-and aging-exuberantly. Just because she was on a walker, that didn’t mean she couldn’t exercise. Covid kept her inside, but she (and the walker) could dance and exercise along with TV programs that showed her how.
She could keep up with old friends by phone and did so once a week. She and her childhood friend get together for a drink—gin and tonic—even though they live in different countries. A phone visit still connects these two and they each have their drinks ready to sip when the conversation begins.
She takes care of something everyday. Plants need nurturing and people need to nurture. She’d like to have a cat, but wouldn’t be able to bend down to feed it, to let it outside in her busy neighborhood, or play with it. So she has imaginary cats, who are a lot easier.
She recommends practicing the Swedish habit of doing painful things but being glad you can still do them. Paying your bills on time can be a bother, but be glad you have the money to do so.Taking care of a sick loved one can be a pain, but be glad you’re able to do it. Each and every burden has a flip side. Forgetting names is a burden, but suddenly remembering them is a joy. Cherish the burden and the joy.
Do what gives you joy: Wear stripes. Eat chocolate. Surround yourself with younger people. Don’t be that eighty-something person who declares that everything was better in the old days.
Young people don’t want to hear that. They live in these days. You should, too.
This is a short book—only 141 pages—since Magnusson says old people don’t want to read long books. Maybe so. But it’s a good, practical book that reveals the author’s sense of humor about life in the later years. Whether you live in sweet home Alabama, or Stockholm, Sweden, you get older every single day, and this book can guide you on your way.
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Dear Eric: I am 40 and physically disabled. I need a powered wheelchair to get around
both outside and inside my apartment. Recently, my tires were popped by some broken glass from a bottle thrown out of a passing car onto the sidewalk. It has been a week since I have been able to use my wheelchair, and I have another 20 days before my new tires arrive.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to be infuriated that someone’s litter caused me to spend $200 on replacement tires.
My caregiver disagrees. He says that it’s my fault for continuing and not turning around. He also said that I am overreacting, when the most I have done is complain a little bit for maybe an hour total and make a joking “whoever threw the bottle on the sidewalk owes me $200” comment once.
Am I being too sensitive about this? I think being upset about having to spend $200 that I don’t have to replace something necessary for my continued function in and outside of my apartment due to litter is understandable, but I would like to ask for your thoughts on the matter to be sure.
– Tire’d
Dear Tire’d: Let me get this straight. Your caregiver, who understands the challenges you face navigating a world that is often not accommodating, thinks that you don’t have the right to be peeved about this? Litter, particularly broken glass, is a problem for everyone and any one of us could and should be upset about having to navigate a sidewalk strewn with jagged pieces, even if it didn’t cost us $200 or a temporary restriction in mobility.
What happened wasn’t fair and it had a greater impact on you than it would on someone who could just step to the side or crunch the glass under a boot. Your caregiver needs to acknowledge that some things in the world affect you differently. This is what empathy is. One doesn’t need firsthand experience to be empathetic, but in this case he has to be able to see how hard this one battle has made your life.
I hope that this is an isolated incident in your relationship and he’s able to be supportive in other ways. Because care is about more than physical assistance. It’s also about being willing to say, “I see you. I hear you. What you’re feeling is valid.”
Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.
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While we await word on whether the NCAA is going to foolishly, needlessly, heedlessly, almost predictably tinker with the best postseason in sports, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, let’s check in on a playoff that’s far from perfect and actually needs scrutiny.
It’s the one run by college football.
The latest pronouncement on the subject came from Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark. His conference kicked off July Media Days mania this week, and during his address there, he continued to lobby strongly for a future format in 2026 and beyond that’s popular among SEC football coaches.
It’s the so-called 5+11, a 16-team model that awards five automatic bids to the highest-ranked conference champions and adds 11 at-large selections chosen by the playoff committee. The ACC seems on board with that format. The Big Ten appears to favor the unbalanced, anti-competitive 4-4-2-2-1-3 model, which would reserve four bids each for the Big Ten and SEC, two each for the Big 12 and ACC and one for the Group of Five with three at-large teams.
The SEC has yet to go public with an official position. Stay tuned for Greg Sankey’s State of the Conference address Monday at Media Days in Atlanta.
Yormark took the lead in Frisco, Texas.
“We continue to believe the 5+11 model is the right playoff format,” he said. “We want to earn it on the field. We do not need a professional model. We are not the NFL. We are college football, and we must act like it.”
Put aside for the moment that, led by the likes of big-spending Big 12 member Texas Tech, college football as an enterprise now acts as a quasi-professional operation. Yormark may lead a conference that belongs to the second tier of the Power 4, but his opinion will matter when the decision-makers get around to figuring out a playoff format for the future.
Their deadline for 2026 is Dec. 1.
What Yormark didn’t say, and what we haven’t heard from fellow power conference commissioners Sankey, Tony Petitti of the Big Ten and Jim Phillips of the ACC, is a reasonable, rational explanation for a significant leap from a 12-team playoff to a 16-team event.
Money is often the answer no matter the question, and it applies here to the argument that bigger is better. But beyond the expected cash grab, wouldn’t it make more sense to let the 12-team playoff run through at least a four-year cycle to assess its advantages and disadvantages?
After one go-round, the rankings vs. seedings confusion of last year’s playoff already has been cleared up. Leave it to college football to come up with a playoff system in which Texas was ranked No. 3 but seeded No. 5 while Arizona State was ranked No. 12 but seeded No. 4.
The math didn’t add up, but the Sun Devils did put up an admirable fight before falling to the Longhorns in the quarterfinals.
This season, you will be what the final College Football Playoff committee’s final rankings say you are, for the most part. The five highest-ranked conference champions again will be guaranteed a spot – to include a Group of Six team in the field – but the seeding will match the rankings. That is unless, say, the ACC champion is ranked No. 16 on Selection Sunday, in which case that team will bump the lowest-ranked would-be at-large selection out of the field.
It’s a common-sense adjustment. No offense to Arizona State and Boise State, but they didn’t deserve a first-round bye last December. Texas and Penn State, ranked third and fourth, did.
Last season, all four teams with a first-round bye lost in the quarterfinals, but the odd seedings vs. rankings bracket skewed the matchups. Top-ranked Oregon had to play its first playoff game against dangerous sixth-ranked but eighth-seeded Ohio State in the quarterfinals. It did not go well for the Ducks, and the Buckeyes went on to win it all.
Under this year’s format, Oregon still would’ve received a first-round bye but would’ve opened against the winner of an 8 vs. 9 game between Indiana and Boise State.
Unless someone taps the brakes on the rush to jump to a 16-team playoff in 2026, the sport and its fans will have no opportunity to marinate on this season’s updated 12-team format. Just a year ago, they tripled the field from four to 12. What’s the hurry to quadruple the bracket from four to 16 in a three-year span from 2023-26? Isn’t there enough chaotic change going on in this sport at the moment?
Think about the slow and steady evolution of college football’s postseason. The BCS, essentially a two-team playoff, lasted for 16 years from 1998-2013. While the ever-changing, double-sided selection system of man and machine didn’t always get it right, the introduction of a true annual national championship game helped the sport grow tremendously.
Because undefeated Auburn didn’t get a chance to win the 2004 title and one-loss Alabama got a second chance in 2011, college football realized that two playoff teams was two too few.
So in 2014 they doubled the field, increasing the buzz and the revenue, despite all those lopsided semifinals, and the four-team playoff lived for 10 years. Selection controversy remained, which was not necessarily a bad thing, unless you were undefeated 2023 Florida State.
The initial iteration of the 12-team playoff in 2024 showed promise, but the convoluted bracket helped water down the drama. Nine of the 11 games were decided by double-digits. Hopefully, this year’s improved format will offer a positive course correction and deliver more fourth-quarter fireworks.
Since the Power 4 can’t seem to agree on an optimal 16-team format for 2026, why expand at all? Why not let the 12-team playoff breathe and grow and show whether it might not be the perfect number?
Basketball arrives at a Sweet 16 after the first week of March Madness. Football might thrive quite nicely with a Dandy Dozen at the start – unless the blowouts continue and 12 proves to be too many in terms of quality matchups and empty days between rounds.
As Yormark said, they’re already involved in a deep dive on the selection criteria “to figure out how they can modernize and contemporize and how they use data and how certain metrics can be more heavily weighted.”
It would be smart if he and the other wise men in charge took the same approach to gather enough data points to determine whether 12 is too few, too many or just right.
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Former Clay-Chalkville High School star Nico Collins joined 11 Crimson Tide alumni as the players from Alabama high schools and colleges chosen for the Pro Bowl for the 2024 season.
Last season’s Pro Bowl players with Alabama football roots, with number of selections, included:
Detroit Lions strong safety Brian Branch (Alabama), first
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (Clay-Chalkville), first
Philadelphia Eagles guard Landon Dickerson (Alabama), third
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (Alabama), third
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (Alabama), first
Green Bay Packers free safety Xavier McKinney (Alabama), first
Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II (Alabama), third
New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (Wenonah, Alabama), third
Only two running backs have more Pro Bowl selections this century than Henry. Adrian Peterson had seven, and LeSean McCoy had six. Fitzpatrick is a little farther down the 21st century Pro Bowl safety list, with eight players having at least six selections.
But neither Henry nor Fitzpatrick cracked the top 10 for Pro Bowl selections among players from Alabama high schools and colleges. Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens (Benjamin Russell) and Chris Samuels (Shaw, Alabama) have six Pro Bowl selections apiece, and they aren’t in the state’s top 10 either.
Five players from Alabama high schools and colleges have been chosen nine times apiece for pro football all-star games – either the NFL’s current Pro Bowl Games, the preceding Pro Bowl, the former AFL All-Star Game or the NFL’s old Pro All-Star Game.
Ten players from Alabama high schools and colleges have been selected at least seven times.
Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Walter Jones blocks during an NFL game against the St. Louis Rams on Sept. 21, 2008, in Seattle.Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
The players with Alabama football roots with the most all-star game selections include:
1. Maxie Baughan, Bessemer High School: Nine Pro Bowl invitations
The linebacker was a Pro Bowler for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1965 and for the Los Angeles Rams in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969.
1. John Hannah, Albertville High School, Alabama: Nine Pro Bowl invitations
The guard was a Pro Bowler for the New England Patriots in 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985. Hannah was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.
1. Walter Jones, Aliceville High School: Nine Pro Bowl invitations
The offensive tackle was a Pro Bowler for the Seattle Seahawks in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Jones was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
1. Derrick Thomas, Alabama: Nine Pro Bowl invitations
The outside linebacker was a Pro Bowler for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. Thomas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
1. DeMarcus Ware, Auburn High School, Troy: Nine Pro Bowl invitations
The outside linebacker was a Pro Bowler for the Dallas Cowboys in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and the Denver Broncos in 2014 and 2015. Ware is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.
6. Buck Buchanan, Parker High School (Birmingham): Eight Pro Bowl invitations
The defensive tackle was a Pro Bowler for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971. Buchanan was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
6. Tyreek Hill, West Alabama: Eight Pro Bowl invitations
The wide receiver was a Pro Bowler for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and the Miami Dolphins in 2022 and 2023.
6. Philip Rivers, Athens High School: Eight Pro Bowl invitations
The quarterback was a Pro Bowler for the San Diego Chargers in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2016 and the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017 and 2018.
9. Robert Brazile, Vigor High School (Prichard): Seven Pro Bowl invitations
The outside linebacker was a Pro Bowler for the Houston Oilers in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982. Brazile was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
9. Julio Jones, Foley High School, Alabama: Seven Pro Bowl invitations
The wide receiver was a Pro Bowler for the Atlanta Falcons in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X @AMarkG1.
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DEAR MISS MANNERS: My boyfriend and I share an apartment, and also share two pet snakes. These are not large reptiles, and are kept in very secure glass tanks behind closed doors.
We understand that many people are not comfortable with reptiles, so we never let them roam around the apartment. If we have company, we never bring our pets out or even open the door to that room; they stay completely out of sight. We would never presume to force anyone to interact in the slightest with an animal that caused them anxiety.
The problem is that my boyfriend’s father is so afraid of snakes that he will not even set foot in the apartment, despite the fact that they are securely contained and not visible. I would love to be able to entertain his family in our home, but his father is adamant that he will not come over until the snakes are no longer there.
Is it rude of us to persist in eating meals at their house and then not reciprocating? We are young and broke, so entertaining them in a restaurant is not a real possibility. Do we have to get rid of two pets in order to satisfy his father?
GENTLE READER: What you need is a mutual agreement on how you will reciprocate their hospitality. Would your boyfriend’s parents, for example, be amenable to having you sometimes prepare and bring a meal to them?
Surely that is preferable to finding alternative living arrangements for Antony and Cleopatra.
Please send your questions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com, by email to [email protected], or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
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On Thursday at 3:51 a.m. a dense fog advisory was released by the National Weather Service in effect until 9 a.m. for Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan, Marshall, Jackson, DeKalb and Cullman counties.
The weather service states to expect, “Visibility as low as one-quarter of a mile in dense fog.”
“Low visibility could make driving conditions hazardous,” explains the weather service. “If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.”
Fog safety: Tips from the weather service for safe travels
If a dense fog advisory is issued for your area, it means that widespread dense fog has developed and visibility often drops to just a quarter-mile or less. These conditions can make driving challenging, so exercise extreme caution on the road, and if possible, consider delaying your trip.
If driving in fog becomes unavoidable, remember these safety tips:
Moderate your speed:
Slow down and allow extra travel time to reach your destination safely.
Visibility matters:
Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights. If you have fog lights, use them.
Avoid high-beams:
Refrain from using high-beam lights, as they create glare, making it more difficult for you to see what’s ahead of you on the road.
Keep a safe distance:
Leave a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you to account for sudden stops or changes in the traffic pattern.
Stay in your lane:
Use the road’s lane markings as a guide to remaining in the correct lane.
Zero visibility protocol:
In cases of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, initiate your hazard lights and locate a secure spot, such as a nearby business parking area, to pull over and come to a halt.
Limited parking options:
If there is no parking lot or driveway to pull into, pull your vehicle off to the side of the road as far as possible. Once you come to a stop, turn off all lights except your hazard flashing lights, set the emergency brake, and take your foot off of the brake pedal to be sure the tail lights are not illuminated so that other drivers don’t mistakenly run into you.
By adhering to these recommendations from the weather service, you can navigate foggy conditions more safely, reducing the risk of accidents and ensuring your well-being.
Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.
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As the moon lifts its antlered head through the trees, velvet light brushing what hasn’t quite hardened yet, remember that you are still growing — bone under softness, instinct under stillness, a shape not fully spoken. This is not the harvest. This is the dream of what might stand tall by the end of the season. Listen. Something is forming.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’re the translator today — between people, between ideas, between head and heart. Talk about this talent of yours. Someone needs your knack for breaking down the complicated into something they can actually use.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll feel a pull to protect your time, and rightly so. A short “no” will save you hours. You don’t have to justify your boundaries; just honor them. Because explaining things will be tedious and unnecessary for both you and the listener.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ll feel a rush of pride not for what you accomplished but for how you handled yourself. The emotional poise you showed under pressure is the real win. Anyone with grace understands how much work it can be to keep cool and controlled.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your instincts are sharp, though you might second-guess them just because others move with more certainty. Mind you, that doesn’t make them right. Confidence and rightness aren’t synonymous. But your impetus to move is based in what’s good for all.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Being open and saying “yes” will bring surprising rewards. You’ll likely agree to something spontaneous — an outing, an event, a project — that you wouldn’t have planned for yourself. That “yes” becomes the entry point to adventure.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Someone you admire needs you, too. Your opinion is unlike any other, believe it. When people turn the floor over to you, be honest. This is your cue to stop underestimating the impact you’re already making.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Today you’ll feel the power of restraint. You won’t need to correct, confront or control. Instead, you only need to observe. Your presence radiates a truth that others feel, and it helps them witness themselves more realistically.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Weirdness will have you laughing. This is a good sign. When levity returns, it’s usually because life gets easier. Either you’re well-rested and stronger or you’re too tired to care anymore. Both work!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There’s a new tool or method that will change how you work. Invest the time to figure it out. It’s hard to stop and take the time to learn, but the upgrade you make now will save you time in the end.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). A project that once felt overwhelming now has a clear next step. It’s so easy to move forward now, mainly because you’ve stopped trying to solve the whole thing at once. You can go the whole way only knowing one or two steps at a time.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). There’s someone you want to reach — not with logic, but with delight. A gesture, the sort of text only you could send, the ribbing that says “we’re in on something that’s only for us.” You make them feel special.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). If you have to pay someone to fix a problem, treat it like a lesson. Learn what you can so you’re more self-sufficient the next time it comes up. Don’t just buy the fix — buy the knowledge.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 10). You’re learning to wield your sensitivity like a secret weapon. This year brings a role reversal — you’ll be leading where you once followed, mentoring where you once asked. More highlights: A signature project takes flight and gains momentum. You’ll cash in on something you put years of time and energy into. A love story evolves, sometimes like a walk on the beach, sometimes like a roller-coaster at the fair, sometimes like a dance in the club. Gemini and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 14, 21, 39 and 42
CELEBRITY PROFILES: Sofia Vergara turned her comedic gifts and commanding presence into a major career, from “Modern Family” to judging “America’s Got Talent.” Her Cancer sun gives her emotional depth beneath the glamour, and a fierce loyalty to family, heritage and her own self-made empire. Known for blending beauty and business savvy, Vergara’s latest ventures include launching lifestyle brands and championing Latinx representation in entertainment.
Holiday Mathis’ debut novel, “How To Fail Epically in Hollywood,” is out now! This fast-paced romp about achieving Hollywood stardom is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit creatorspublishing.com for more information. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.
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College football in Alabama is “a little different,” just ask former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.
He won the national championship and Heisman Trophy with the Tigers in 2010 and may be the most vocal former player in the media.
On a recent episode of his podcast titled 4th&1 with Cam Newton, the Auburn legend talked about how much college football means in the state. His point was best summed up by a quote former head coach Gene Chizik once gave Newton at Auburn.
“He said, Cam, the four most important people in the state of Alabama is the head coach of Auburn. It’s the head coach of Alabama. It’s the starting quarterback for Auburn, and it’s the starting quarterback for the University of Alabama. You’re one of those four,” Newton said Chizik told him.
Newton’s Heisman-winning season in 2010 was the only year he spent on the Plains, but he was still able to get a sense of the passion fans in the state have for college football.
“The State of Alabama does not have no professional sports,” Newton said. “Anybody from Alabama, whether you’re from Dothan, Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, Bessemer, you asked this one question on Thanksgiving: ‘what color you wearing?’”
Newton won the only Iron Bowl he participated in, beating Alabama 28-27 in a game that earned the nickname of “The Camback” after Auburn overcame a 24-0 deficit to beat the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.
“Man, listen, call them crazy. I call them rambunctious, beautiful people. Belligerent fans,” Newton said. “Not all fans make it in this state.”
Newton also made a bold statement when comparing the excitement of an SEC matchup to a big game in the Big 10.
“A 8-2 or 7-3 SEC-SEC matchup is way better than a 6-0, 6-0 Big 10 matchup,” Newton said. “It’s just different brotha.”
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Chris Stewart, McCarron’s co-host on the podcast “The Dynasty,” asked the former Alabama quarterback how nice it is seeing the Crimson Tide recruit well while Auburn struggles.
“Hugh Freeze is full of shit,” McCarron said. “And I think Hugh Freeze is trying to do whatever he can to save face. He’s starting to feel pressure at Auburn. I think going into his third year, not having the success that the alumni, the boosters, everybody donating a lot of money, thought that he would have by this point, I think he’s trying to figure out and scramble on why they are not successful.”
Auburn has the No. 71 recruiting class as of Wednesday night, per On3/Rivals. Meanwhile, Alabama ranks No. 5. This comes after the Tigers landed two top-10 recruiting classes.
Freeze and Auburn athletics director John Cohen spoke recently about the recruiting struggles, and they suggested the Tigers are going about things the “right way” while other programs are not. Freeze and Cohen mentioned Aug. 1 as a pivotal date because that’s when offers that are made verbally now can be offered in writing.
“In my opinion we can’t put ourselves in jeopardy,” Freeze said. “We’ve got great interpretations from our administration and our legal team on what the settlement really means and how we should operate. That’s what we’re doing. If others are operating in a manner not with that, I’m hopeful they’ll be called out on that at some point.”
McCarron said he played golf recently with someone connected at Auburn, and people on the Plains, after significant financial investment into rosters the past few seasons, are “pissed on the fact that it hasn’t been successful like they thought it would be,” McCarron said.
Freeze has lost both Iron Bowls in which he’s coached. The Tigers also finished below .500 in each season.
“The state of Alabama is ran by Alabama fans, Alabama alumni, whether you like it or not,” McCarron continued in his monologue. “I’ve never been one to absolutely hate on Auburn. Hell, I’ve caught hell from Alabama fans for cheering for some of my friends that played at Auburn. It proves, like I was talking about with recruits, if you are from the state of Alabama, I think it is dumb for you not to sign with the University of Alabama and pick Auburn over Alabama.”
McCarron said in life after football, UA “supplies more avenues for that.”
“I think life after football is set up for success a lot more than Auburn,” McCarron said. “I think that has been proven when it comes to the recruiting standpoint. And that, I mean, that’s just my take. But I think it also shows with why Hugh Freeze is struggling a little bit.”
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
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