Alabama News

Bryan Braman, who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and also played for the Houston Texans, died Thursday at the age of 38.

Agent Sean Stellato confirmed Braman’s death Thursday, after the former NFL player sought treatment from an aggressive form of cancer he learned about in February.

“Bryan, people saw this enormous human being, but his heart was big as his body,” Stellato told KPRC 2 in Houston. “His spirit was so motivating. He was so real and genuine with everybody. That made him special.

“It’s hard. I feel like I lost my firstborn. This kid, he gave me his bed every time I came to Philadelphia. He would threaten me if I didn’t stay with him. That’s something I’ll always cherish. My heart hurts today.”

Braman had multiple surgeries as part of the treatment in Seattle, according to a GoFundMe page.

Braman leaves two daughters, ages 11 and 8.

“Rest in Peace brother,” Watt wrote on social media. “Gone far too soon.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

A large part of the crowd was gone by the time Eli Drinkwitz took the stage at SEC Media Days on Thursday morning, which is a shame, because the Missouri coach might have been the most-entertaining speaker of the week thus far.

Drinkwitz’s Tigers are coming off back-to-back double-digit win seasons, including a 10-3 finish with a Music City Bowl victory in 2024. And yet, Missouri continues to be overlooked in the SEC “conversation” in favor of more tradition-rich or high-profile programs.

But the well, witty Drinkwitz came out firing on Thursday. The first words out of his mouth were a dig at the SEC for accidentally playing Texas A&M’s fight song as Texas coach Steve Sarkisian took the stage on Tuesday.

“Well, we got the right fight song,” Drinkwitz said. “That’s an improvement.”

Drinkwitz also made light of the sparse attendance on the fourth and final morning of SEC Media Days. He noted he’d just returned from a family vacation at Disney World before referencing various conspiracy theories.

“Y’all remind me a little bit of Disney World,” Drinkwitz said, “Tired, ready to go home, tired of coaches whining up here. So good morning to everyone. You know, I was very excited about the opportunity to come to SEC Media Days, which marks the end of vacation season, which is one of the two main reasons that I coach college football — free gear and vacations.

“But just as a reminder, I’m not going to answer any questions about the Epstein Files, whether about the Radiation Belt, and whether or not it was possible for Lee Harvey Oswald to get three shots off in succession in seven seconds. I don’t have time to answer all those questions, but I will answer questions about Mizzou football.”

But Drinkwitz reserved his most-thoughtful — and longest — answer for discussion of future expansion of the College Football Playoff and the SEC’s possible move from an eight-game to nine-game conference schedule. He said he might be in favor of CFP expansion beyond even 14 or 16, as appears likely as soon as next year.

“This is not going to do me any favors with our commissioner,” Drinkwitz said. “When I think about college football right now and think about what do we need to do, I think it really comes down to two things: what’s best for our players and what’s best for our fans.

“The rest of us are really only important because of the players and the fans. And so when you think about whether it’s 12, 14, or 16, to me, if we’ve decided to go into this expansion of playoffs and we’re trying to follow an NFL model, well, the NFL takes 44% of their teams in order to, into the playoffs to increase the passion or keep the fan base engaged.

“If we’re talking about 12, that’s 9%. If we’re talking about 14, that’s 11%. If we’re talking about 16, that’s 12%. That’s really not changing the math for the fan base. So I really don’t understand what the big fight is about.

“The other thing I don’t really understand about this — we have a lot of complaints, whether we’re talking about 68 teams in the NCAA basketball tournament, we’re complaining about the committee. Last year we complained about the committee selections. I mean, we produced all kinds of stats and handed them out about why the SEC was so good.

“Well, the problem is we have a human committee that has no standard set of, of structure of how they’re going to select. They’re all human beings. They all have implicit bias. So now we’re going to go from, from seven to 11, and we think that’s going to solve the problem until we figure out what exactly the standards are.”

On the SEC schedule topic, Drinkwitz said he’d be in favor of nine, for similar reasons.

“I think if it was about players and about fans, I think it’s a nine-game schedule for the SEC,” Drinkwitz said. “If it’s about coach preservation — which, hey man, I get it. But if we’re going to go to 11 humans deciding on a committee, which are the 11 best teams and we stay at eight (SEC games), we ain’t getting in.”

Fear is spreading that methamphetamine laced with a poisonous substance is harming and killing people in Birmingham who inject the drug.

“They are not overdosing in a way that someone would if fentanyl was mixed into the supply, so testing strips may not help in this situation,” the Recovery Resource Center posted on Facebook.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said they have heard the concerns of the RRC and UAB and are investigating five suspected overdoses from Saturday through Tuesday.

“But, this does not constitute a significant increase considering our history of overdose fatalities. Autopsies performed in each case did not provide any evidence at this time to confirm or dismiss the concerns,” the coroner’s office reported.

It will be approximately four to six weeks before the coroner’s office will be able to report its findings in those deaths.

Dani Sims, assistant director of the Recovery Resource Center, said they have received reports of two people dying and four ending up in intensive care since Saturday as a result of the drug.

One was a person who only uses meth and injected the drug in George Ward Park, Sims said.

The drug is said to be brown and come in rock form and is being injected, Sims said. Drug users are urged to avoid any meth that comes in brown rock form.

Sims said one person reported that the sensation of injecting the drug “was like fire going through his body.”

That feeling is followed, Sims said, by what she called “trash fever” — chills, intestinal distress, “intense pain; things that make you feel like you are going to die.”

Sims said it is speculated that the meth is being cut with some deadly substance.

“It’s unusual,” Sims said. “Usually, the additives are filler — baby powder — things that aren’t going to harm people.”

Sims said intravenous drug users should only use with someone else present or while on the phone with the Never Use Alone hotline at 877-696-1996.

The 24/7 hotline will stay on the line with someone while they inject a drug and call emergency services if the person using the drug has an adverse reaction.

The concern over the drug can also serve as a reason for people struggling with addiction to seek help, Sims said.

“This is a better time than any to get help,” Sims said. “This is fatal.”

Missouri has gone 21-5 over the past two seasons, but Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz doesn’t want to hear about it.

“If you get caught up, Coach Saban calls it rat poison,” Drinkwitz said Thursday at SEC Media Days. “It’s rat poison either way. Praise and blame are both the same. You can’t care about it either way.”

Drinkwitz was asked about Missouri not getting the same national respect despite 21 wins over two seasons and if the Tigers have something to prove.

“We have a ‘something to prove’ mindset,” Drinkwitz said. “Whether you’re talking about our coaching staff, our players, we all have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. At the end of the day, two-minute drive, fourth quarter, that’s not what you’re thinking about. You think about your trust and belief in each other, doing your job at a higher level.”

Alabama will face Missouri this season at 11 a.m. CT on Oct. 11 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.

England plays against Sweden in the Women’s EURO quarterfinals today. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. CT on FOX. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV.

England ended the group stage with a 2-0-1 record, which helped them secure second place. In their most recent game, England defeated Wales 6-1.

In order to win today’s game, England will need great performances from their star players Georgia Stanway, Lauren James, and Ella Toone. These three players lead the team in scoring, as they have each scored two goals at the tournament.

Toone also enters this game with the second-most assists on the team.

Sweden ended the group stage with a 3-0-0 record, and they had an impressive +7 goal differential. In their most recent game, Sweden defeated Germany 4-1.

In order to win the quarterfinal game today, Sweden will need to rely on their star players Stina Blackstenius and Lina Hurtig. Both players have scored two goals at the tournament this year, which leads the Sweden offense.

Fans can watch the Women’s EURO quarterfinals for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV.

Greg Sankey called the criticism golf narrative following Auburn coach Hugh Freeze “misplaced.”

The SEC commissioner, who joined “The Opening Kickoff on WNSP-FM 105.5, talked about the balance needed in the lives of his football coaches.

“It’s healthy for me to go outside and play golf,” Sankey said. “I think the criticism (of Freeze) is misplaced.”

He relayed a 2004 conversation he had with Steve Spurrier in which he asked the former Florida coach if he played a lot of golf.

“That’s overblown,” Sankey said Spurrier told him. “He said, ‘Look, I’m not going to be in the film room, so I can brag how much film I watch. When I have time, I’m going to go play golf. I don’t do it during the season.’”

For coaches, Sankey said, it is about the peace and balance any activity outside of work brings, whether it is fishing, golf, or coaching your kids.

“Given the stress of football coaches, I think it’s the most healthy thing you can do,” Sankey said.

“Every piece of that is balance in your life. … It doesn’t diminish your coaching ability.”

Sankey, by the way, calls his game “inconsistent.”

He was paired with Georgia coach Kirby Smart at the Regions Pro-Am in the spring.

“He got up to the first tee and crushed it,” Sankey said of the Georgia coach. “After the round, he goes on Finebaum and talks about how great my golf game is.”

As it turns out, he said, it was short-lived.

“I played the six first holes pretty well,” Sankey said. “After that, I’m wildly inconsistent.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

In an ongoing debate among supporters of the Trump Administration over releasing information related to the case of billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged clients, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. has made her stance clear.

“Jeffrey Epstein was a sexual predator—full stop,” she wrote in an email to AL.com Thursday.

“The abuses of his victims, especially children, are despicable.

“This is why I supported an amendment the Senate Appropriations Committee adopted last week to ensure the DOJ releases everything the Department has on the Epstein case.”

The Epstein case has followed Trump since July 6, when the Department of Justice and the FBI issued a joint memo saying there was “no incriminating ‘client list’” and “no credible evidence” that Epstein blackmailed co-conspirators who sexually abused underaged girls provided by him, Axios first reported.

The memo contradicted Attorney General Pam Bondi’s claim in a February interview with Fox News that the client list was on her desk.

Some of the president’s most staunch backers turned on him over the memo’s release, advocating for the release of the Epstein files.

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. maintains his staunch support of the Trump administration, telling 1819 News this week “we won’t get involved.”

“What I can tell you, just knowing (FBI Director) Kash Patel and (Attorney General) Pam Bondi, the investigation is ongoing, and you do not want to do things that are going to put you in a bad light as a Republican,” he recently told Greg Budell of News Talk 93.1 in Montgomery.

“But when it is found out, and when we have complete control of what is going on, the American people will see this. President Trump could care less about the Epstein files or whatever, but he’s promised transparency.”

Trump on Wednesday lashed out at supporters asking for the release of the files, calling them “weaklings.”

“Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work,” he wrote in a post to his Truth Social account.

“Don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!”

Although Britt believes that “President Trump and his administration are committed” to being transparent about the Epstein case, she said she is pushing for the public to get answers sooner rather than later.

“It’s crucial that, while protecting the privacy rights of victims, the American public get transparent, credible answers,” she said Thursday.

One parent is extremely grateful that a pediatric crisis care center opened in Huntsville.

Mom Brooke Bell says the Wellstone’s pediatric inpatient center has been so helpful to her family.

Her daughter experienced a mental health crisis in May 2025 after years of dealing with depression and anxiety.

“I felt helpless as a mother,” Bell said. “I just felt like I couldn’t give her what she needed. And I knew Wellstone was there. I didn’t know what was going to happen when we drove to Wellstone. We walked in and started talking to the front desk person, and I just immediately started crying, because you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know why you’re even there. You just know that you need somebody with the expertise to help you, and that’s what happened.”

Bell said she was pleasantly surprised by the reception. She met with Wellstone workers who calmly reassured her and explained the different options.

Bell’s daughter decided to do the inpatient treatment for two days. Bell said it was a very engaging program that included individual therapy, group therapy, playing games and having time for schoolwork if needed.

Bell was relieved she could put her daughter in a program like this. She heard about it when it was brand new from her neighbor, Karen Peterson, who happens to be the Director of Development of Wellstone, Inc. The pediatric center opened less than a year ago, in September 2024. It’s the first of its kind in Madison County. It has already helped over 300 12 to 18-year-olds.

Before it opened, Peterson said 800 children had to leave the county for extended or inpatient mental health care per year. The closest facility for inpatient mental health care for children was the Decatur West Hospital. It served almost half of Madison County’s children who needed care. The rest had to go as far as Mobile to find help.

“When you have to wait in the ER, sometimes in the hallway, for hours or days, for a bed to open up somewhere, either in Alabama or Tennessee, that really can add trauma to whatever prompted the emergency room visit in the first place,” Peterson said.

Bell’s daughter returned from the program feeling refreshed with a new treatment plan that included counseling, medication and having reminders for medication.

“I see a big difference, the willingness to talk more,” Bell said. “I guess the counselor shared with her, like your parents are doing this out of love. So even just that, a better understanding of where my husband and I come from when we ask her just the reminder-type stuff, and I think she picked up at Wellstone. (…) Even recently, she had a little bit of a down day. And we sat and we talked and it feels better.”

Peterson said the majority of patients are also experiencing crises from depression and anxiety. Major symptoms include suicidal ideations and substance abuse, but they sometimes see cases with psychosis and mania.

She says the program has already grown. The care center started with four beds. It quickly grew to 16 beds since it opened. Wellstone leaders can expand to 24 beds if the demand increases.

Since they are a 501(c)3 non-profit, they don’t turn anyone away. They accept Medicaid and traditional insurance and operate on a sliding scale basis. Peterson says they want to make sure people get the care that they deserve.

“We just want everyone to know that we’re here for them. They aren’t alone,” Peterson said. “So many people, when you’re talking about mental illness and addiction, they still feel overwhelmed by the stigma, and so we want people to know that there are resources available that Wellstone is here, that we are going to welcome them in with open arms and stabilize them as quickly as possible.”

Peterson knows that everyone’s “breaking points” are different. They have several ways to help evaluate a mental health crisis. They have operators for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number and a mobile crisis team that can go to homes in Madison County and Cullman County. They say they take walk-ins.

In a few weeks, those roadside enterprises that have flourished all summer will shut down, and the young lemonade sellers will count their money, take down their lemonade stand, and go inside until next year.

Some will donate their profits to a local charity, and some will donate their profits to their own piggy bank.

And pretty soon, the splashes will cease and the neighborhood pools will be winterized and covered; the gates locked.

There. Swim season is over, even if it’s still blazing hot and even if the calendar says it’s August.

That’s because there’s another calendar that pushes its way in like an early cold front: the school calendar.

Where I live, school starts Aug. 4, and teachers start the day before.

But most teachers never stopped. They’ve been to workshops, conferences, and informal meetups with other teachers all summer, hoping to get and give advice about how to do the best job they can with the students they’re given.

In the Huntsville School district, there are 37 schools and 24,000 students with a wide range of backgrounds and abilities.

Imagine the possibilities and the complications.

It’s been many decades since I taught in a classroom, but I remember that students, even though they are all assigned to a certain school based on neighborhood or on family preference, aren’t all the same. There is no one cookie cutter child.

But teachers are expected to instruct all of them and to shape them into walking and talking encyclopedia pages, knowing the difference between George Washington and George Bush; between trapezoid and triangle; between capitalism and Communism.

And, if there’s time for the most important lessons, teachers can instruct them in the basics of decency:

• Don’t lie.
• Don’t hit others.
• Don’t shove people.
• Don’t make fun of people or call them names, even if you see politicians on television doing this during the news hour. 

And any teacher will tell you that the students who get off the bus or out of the car may come from very different homes.

One falls asleep during math because her parents were arguing loudly the night before, and she was awake until the wee hours.

One is hyperactive and bounces around the classroom like a basketball being dribbled by the Harlem Globetrotters.

Another is so bored because she’s so smart, and could do well two grades ahead of her peers. She deals with her boredom by passing notes and whispering to others.

Then there is the classic bully. Wherever he learned that might makes right doesn’t fly in the classroom where shoving your way to the front of the line means you move to the back of the line each time.

And then there are the ordinary students in the middle, with ordinary parents who enforce homework time and school rules and show up for parent-teacher conferences every semester. They steal a few hours from their jobs to volunteer on kite day and help with the Halloween carnival. Teachers know they can count on them.

And while there are indifferent teachers who count the years to retirement, there are also those who know it’s their calling.

I met one such teacher last weekend. She admits that teaching grade school is not glamorous and won’t make her rich, but it’s what she was meant to do, she says.

She shows me a coffee cup she plans to put in her classroom so she can gulp a jolt of caffeine before school starts. The slogan on the cup reads: I became a teacher for the money and the fame. Maybe she’ll get the tee shirt, too.

Contact Beth Thames at [email protected]

The brand new four-part true crime docuseries The Furry Detectives: Unmasking A Monster premieres on SundanceTV Thursday, July 17 at 10/9c.

Those looking to catch the premiere can stream it live through Philo (free trial), DirecTV (free trial) or Sling (50% off first month).

What is The Furry Detectives: Unmasking A Monster about?

Directed and executive produced by Emmy®-winner Theo Love, this riveting true crime docuseries spotlights the 2018 event known in the Furry community as the “Furry Zoosadist Leaks,” which went on to expose a terrifying conspiracy of animal abuse hidden beneath the fandom’s playful exterior.

After the conspiracy’s unraveling, a dedicated group of vigilantes came together and navigated the lines between amateur internet sleuthing and official police investigation work to expose a ring of animal abusers, fought for victims and defended their community from the evil within.

The opening episode follows the aftermath of Patch O’Furr being tagged in a mysterious online post. Following this connection, he must face the fact that animal abusers are hiding in plain sight in the Furry Fandom.

After teaming up with the Furry Detectives, they come through evidence and discover one popular Youtuber is a suspect.

How to watch The Furry Detectives: Unmasking A Monster

Those interested in checking out the latest Sundance true crime docuseries can stream all four parts through Philo, DirecTV or Sling.

Both Philo and DirecTV offer free trials for new subscribers to enjoy before committing to a paid plan while Sling offers those that commit to a paid subscription half off their first month.

Out of the three streaming services listed above, Philo is the cheapest at just $28 a month after its 7-day free trial concludes.

What is Philo?

Philo is considered one of the most affordable streaming platforms on the market. Known as an entertainment-focused streaming service, Philo offers its subscribers access to over 70 top-rated TV channels such as TLC, MTV, BET, AMC, CMT, Investigation Discovery and more.

New users can enjoy Philo’s 7-day free trial and continue to stream top channels, hit TV shows and movies on-demand for just $28 a month once the free trial expires.

Those looking to customize their flow of content even further on Philo can consider including add-ons such as MGM+, STARZ, and AMC+ in their subscription.

What is DirecTV?

DirecTV is a top streaming service perfect for those looking to access a plethora of live TV channels and enjoy helpful features. The base package starts at just $86.99 a month after its 5-day free trial and includes popular TV channels such as HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, CMT, CNBC, BET, CNN and more.

DirecTV has also recently introduced a lineup of genre packs, which allows subscribers to choose their favorite viewing options based on what genre they watch the most. With genre packs, users can get the channels and content they want without filler channel overload. Packs start at just $34.99 a month.

Those interested in comparing all DirecTV’s channel packages and the new genre packs can check them out here.

What is Sling?

Sling is another streaming service to consider if you want to ditch the hassle of traditional cable. Though no free trial is available to new subscribers, those who commit to a paid plan get half off the first month.

Both the Sling Orange plan and the Sling Blue plan are normally $45.99 a month, but with the current promotion, Sling users will pay just $23 a month for the first month.

For those who wish to access channels from both the Sling Blue and Sling Orange plans can do so by signing up for the Orange + Blue plan, which combines the best of both plans for just $60.99 a month ($30.50 for the first month).