Alabama News

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Medicare alert: Feds issue open enrollment warning

Medicare’s open enrollment period is open through Dec. 7. But, as you compare your coverage options, federal officials are warning you to keep your eyes out for scammers looking to take advantage of any changes you might be making.

In a new alert, the Federal Trade Commission said scammers often pretend to be from Medicare or connected to Medicare to steal your money or personal information. They might contact you to say they need your Medicare, bank account or credit card number for a “new” Medicare card, officials warned, despite the fact that Medicare cards are sent free.

“Scammers might also say they need your Medicare number for a “medical equipment claim” you don’t remember making. That’s a scam, too. They want to file fake claims using your Medicare number,” officials said.

To protect yourself, the FTC recommends:

• Never giving your personal information to someone who contacts you unexpectedly, especially if they claim to be from Medicare. Medicare will never unexpectedly call, email, text or contact you via social media to ask for personal information like your Medicare, Social Security or bank account information.  They also won’t try to sell you anything or try to charge you for a Medicare card. If they do, that’s always a scam.
• Don’t trust caller ID. Your caller ID might show Medicare’s name or phone number but that can be spoofed, or faked and the call could be originating from anywhere in the world. If you think the call could be real, hang up and call 1-800-633-4227 to check.
• You should protect your Medicare number like you do a credit card and only give it to healthcare providers, insurance companies or health plans or people you trust that work with Medicare.

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Mystery celebrity sues lawyer for Diddy’s accusers over ‘false horrific allegations’

A Los Angeles-based celebrity who is keeping his identity secret is suing an attorney representing 120 alleged victims of Sean “Diddy” Combs. The man says the lawyer tried to extort a payout in return for not identifying him as a sexual abuser tied to the hip-hop mogul.

The celebrity — referred to in the lawsuit as a “high-profile individual” and identified only as John Doe through his lawyers — says Houston attorney Tony Buzbee wrote demand letters in which he made “wildly false horrific allegations.” Buzbee said the individual raped minors at a Combs party and that — unless he agreed to a mediated settlement — there would be consequences, according to the lawsuit.

Combs, 54, remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has denied multiple abuse claims. Buzbee’s law firm has filed many of those civil lawsuits against Combs since his arrest in September. The accusers’ lawyers say that other celebrities participated in rapes and sexual assaults at “freak-offs” organized by Combs and that some victims were minors.

Attorneys for the celebrity said Buzbee, in communications, threatened to “unleash entirely fabricated and malicious allegations of sexual assault.”

“This is textbook extortion,” the lawyers added.

Buzbee allegedly confronted the man this month with “vile” allegations. According to the lawsuit, Buzbee accused the celebrity of raping “multiple minors, both male and female, who had been drugged at parties hosted by Combs.” The lawyer said that if the celebrity did not agree to a “confidential mediation,” then the lawyer would “take a different course,” the suit claims. Buzbee attached an image of a ticking clock to the message, according to the lawsuit.

Buzbee said he and his firm would not “allow the powerful and their high-dollar lawyers [to] intimidate or silence sexual survivors” and warned that a lawsuit against the unnamed plaintiff was looming.

“It is obvious that the frivolous lawsuit filed against my firm is an aggressive attempt to intimidate or silence me and ultimately my clients,” Buzbee wrote in a statement. “That effort is a gross miscalculation. I am a U.S. Marine. I won’t be silenced or intimidated. Neither will my clients. Since our professional efforts at resolution obviously have failed, we will instead disclose the demand letters we sent at the time we filed suit.”

Buzbee’s more than two dozen civil lawsuits have, for the first time, accused celebrities other than Combs of participating in assaults during parties hosted by the Bad Boy Records founder. The stars, however, have not been identified by name.

Buzbee has previously vowed to name celebrities who he says were involved in the alleged sexual abuse. He said during a news conference in September that the names contained in the suits would “shock.”

In one federal lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York, a woman identified as Jane Doe says she was 13 when she was raped by Combs and a male celebrity, identified only as Celebrity A, while a female celebrity, referred to as Celebrity B in court papers, watched.

The woman alleges in the legal filing that the night of Sept. 7, 2000, began with her outside Radio City Music Hall in New York City, trying to talk her way into the Video Music Awards. Later, at a “freak-off” hosted by Combs, the unnamed male celebrity allegedly raped the girl while Combs and the unidentified female celebrity watched. Combs then raped the girl as the other two celebrities watched, according to the lawsuit.

Combs’ attorneys denied Buzbee’s allegations. “Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone — adult or minor, man or woman.”

Attorneys at L.A. law firm Quinn Emanuel who filed suit Monday on behalf of the unnamed celebrity said Buzbee “capitalizes on the bravery of those victims who came forward” against Combs to win unearned settlements from “innocent celebrities, politicians, and business people.”

“Defendants devised a scheme to obtain payments through the use of coercive threats from anyone with any ties to Combs — no matter how remote,” lawyers for the unnamed plaintiff wrote. “Defendants claim to be investigating the facts, but the reality is they are finding deep pockets and trying to smear all of them with the same brush.”

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©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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‘Downright chilly’: Alabama’s weekend weather forecast calls for coldest temperatures of fall

Get ready for some cold temperatures over the next few days.

First there was Tuesday’s cold front, which brought beneficial rain and a few storms to Alabama.

The National Weather Service will be tracking another strong but dry cold front as it moves through the state today. It will bring breezy conditions and a dose of much colder air.

Forecasters said clouds are expected to clear from the west to east today behind the front.

Today will still be on the warm side for those ahead of the front, with temperatures expected to reach the 70s in parts of central and south Alabama. But the cold air will begin to move into north Alabama, and highs will only reach the 60s there. (Today’s forecast is at the top of this post.)

Temperatures overnight are expected to dip into the 30s across most of Alabama, with low to mid-40s closer to the coast. Here are tonight’s expected low temperatures:

The change will really be felt on Thursday. Highs on Thursday will only make it into the 50s and 60s, even in south Alabama:

The weather service said a reinforcing dry front will move through on Thursday with another dose of cold air. It will also continue to be breezy, but likely it won’t be windy enough to warrant a wind advisory.

Thursday night temperatures will again dip into the 30s for much of north and central Alabama, with 40s possible in south Alabama. Here are the forecast lows from Thursday night into Friday morning:

Friday will be “downright chilly,” the weather service said, with highs only reaching the 50s and windy conditions, which will make it feel even colder.

Here are the forecast high temperatures for Friday:

The coldest night could be Friday night into Saturday morning, according to the weather service.

Winds will finally die down, but that will allow temperatures to fall even further. Parts of north Alabama will likely dip below freezing, and lows will be in the low 30s with widespread frost expected across north and central parts of the state. Even south Alabama will have to deal with temperatures in the 30s:

This cold snap isn’t expected to last all that long, according to the weather service.

Saturday will be another chilly day, but not as cold as Friday. And temperatures are expected to warm up even more on Sunday.

By Monday and Tuesday temperatures are expected rebound back into the 60s and 70s.

The next chance for rain is expected just before Thanksgiving.

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Matt Gaetz needs support of Senate he called the ‘swampiest nursing home.’ Will he get it?

If former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz wants to be the next attorney general, he would need the votes of Senate Republicans he has personally criticized in a chamber he once dubbed the “swampiest nursing home in America.”

In a range of public comments in recent years, the 42-year-old Floridian lobbed broadsides at more GOP senators than he can afford to lose, with Republicans anticipating a likely 53-seat majority. That means Gaetz’s confirmation could be blocked if four Republican senators join all Democrats and independents to vote against him.

Gaetz, among other comments, derided Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as a “disgrace to the Republican Party.” He called Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., “one of the America-last Republican senators.” And when it came to a border deal negotiated in part by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., Gaetz labeled it as a “Lankford amnesty bill,” and said it “was backstabbing to the people who want a secure border.”

Gaetz, who resigned from Congress last week after President-elect Donald Trump said he would be his pick to lead the Justice Department, left the chamber as one of the most notorious instigators, an insult-hurling firebrand whose brash rhetoric and behavior alienated Democrats and infuriated Republicans.

He didn’t constrain that approach to House members, in remarks on his podcast, in media interviews and on social media. He has attacked specific senators who he saw as not in line with the Republican Party shaped by Trump.

Former South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy, on a recent podcast, raised concerns about Gaetz’s “vindictiveness” and said his former House colleague has been “gratuitously critical” of GOP senators.

“And not for any real reason, just because he wanted to. He just enjoys inflicting pain on other people,” Gowdy said. “I can think of no one that has gone out of his way more to attack and demean and vilify other people.”

In the race for majority leader, Gaetz publicly backed Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. On his podcast, Gaetz said that Senate Republicans do not need to pick one of the Johns — John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas or John Barrasso of Wyoming.

“I think that there are going to be better options than the Johns,” Gaetz said. Senate Republicans elected Thune.

Cornyn, a member of the Judiciary Committee that would vet Gaetz’s nomination, has said he wants to see details of a House Ethics probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use by the four-term congressman. Gaetz has steadfastly denied wrongdoing.

“I think there should not be any limitation on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation, including whatever the House Ethics Committee has generated,” Cornyn said.

Tillis, also a member of the Judiciary Committee, told reporters that a Gaetz pick could face some trouble. “He’s going to have to overcome some of his temperament as it relates to his Republican colleagues, that’s the way I’d see it now,” Tillis said.

“All I know is he likes picking fights on social media. [He’ll] have to deal with that in committees,” Tillis later said.

Gaetz on his podcast criticized Tillis after the North Carolinian spoke on the Senate floor in February in favor of a supplemental package to provide aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Tillis was one of 22 Republican senators to vote for the bill.

Gaetz said the legislation was primarily supported by Democrats and called Tillis “one of the America-last Republican senators who advocated vociferously for this legislation.”

Gaetz also has singled out Mullin, the Republican senator from Oklahoma, who previously has said Gaetz in the past has shown videos on the House floor of people he had slept with. “He’d brag about how he would crush ED medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night,” Mullin told CNN.

Gaetz mocked Mullin after the senator challenged a witness at a committee hearing to a fight, saying the incident was “weird” and a “real strange display.”

“I have frequently used the statements of witnesses in the past to impeach them, but I try to use like my brain and my words and logic and reason — tying that to some consequence, maybe defunding things that aren’t working,” Gaetz said.

Mullin beating someone up “isn’t going to help his constituents,” Gaetz said.

In 2020, Gaetz criticized Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, over their opposition to confirming a Supreme Court nominee so close to the general election.

“Trump supporters should not be taken for granted in Maine, Alaska or anywhere else,” Gaetz said in an interview with Fox News. “And if they are unwilling to do their job and take a vote on who the president nominates, they should not have the privilege of continuing to serve in the Senate.”

Gaetz has been outspoken about Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and cheered when the Kentucky Republican announced he would not run for the leadership post again.

McConnell’s work on confirming Trump judicial nominees and passing the former president’s tax bill was doing the bare minimum as a Republican leader, Gaetz said.

Gaetz, in the wake of that announcement, scorned McConnell’s support for Ukraine, tore into him for not doing enough on border security and accused him of serving “the swamp.”

“Mitch McConnell’s real legacy is that he was missing in action when we needed him most and spent a lot of his time in the Senate putting special interests above American interests,” Gaetz said on his podcast in February after the announcement. “Real good at sloshing that special interest money around.”

And on social media, Gaetz gloated: “We’ve now 86′d: McCarthy McDaniel McConnell,” referring to former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted as House speaker last year in a push led by Gaetz.

Gaetz has also shown a willingness to get into the politics of the Senate. For example, Gaetz endorsed Rep. Matt Rosendale’s bid for Senate in Montana. Senator-elect Tim Sheehy went on to win the seat.

Gaetz, for his part, has shown a certain amount of self-awareness.

“I am not a deeply popular person with the leadership of my own party,” Gaetz said in 2022 on his podcast. “Probably in either the House or the Senate.”

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©2024 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Asking Eric: Lifelong strife with sister taking a toll

Dear Eric: I have a sister who, from the time we were younger, hated me. Every chance she had she would work diligently to turn our parents against me – make up lies, complain that I embarrassed her and so on.

Our parents started their family late in life, so they were older and, as they put it, did not have the energy to correct her.

Now as we are older, she continues. We can get along for a week or two and then she gaslights. The latest was that I never paid her for dinners that she made when we came to visit. She had barbecue! We were transporting our parents to her town and back so they could visit. She invited us! I offered to bring food; she did not want anything. So, it’s not about the payment – everyone is financially stable. It’s a means to be mean.

After this happens, I react, block her and then we do not speak for months. I am not sure if I should just be done completely, or what? I have offered for us to go to therapy in the past, she, of course, says that it’s me. She will not go. What are your thoughts?

– Sisterly Strife

Dear Sisterly: Some things can be chalked up to that oldest of stories – sibling animus. But I think there’s something else going on here. Given that this aggressive behavior seems, by your telling, to be entirely one-directional – her to you – and given that she refuses to work on these issues with you, she seems to thrive in the conflict. Maybe it’s her personality, maybe it’s a more serious psychological or emotional issue. Without input from a trained professional, which she has refused, one can’t diagnose.

The only thing you have control over here is your own peace. So, decide what kind of relationship is tolerable for you. And think about the relationship in terms of the sister that you have, not the sister who could be. It sounds like putting more consistent distance between the two of you will help everyone.

From your telling, you’ve gone around and around trying to work this out, so I don’t see the use of having a big separation conversation. Maybe you only need to communicate about your parents or check in through holiday cards and nothing else. Setting a new boundary will keep you from getting drawn back into the drama.

Read more Asking Eric and other advice columns.

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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This Hollywood icon will get a stamp in 2025

Betty White will soon get her own postage stamp.

The U.S. Postal Service has announced that it will release a stamp in 2025 featuring a digital illustration of the late actress.

The announcement, posted on Nov. 15, offered a sneak peek of upcoming stamps. Preliminary designs include Lunar New Year: Year of the Snake, a “Love” stamp featuring work by the last artist Keith Haring, and a Black Heritage stamp dedicated to composer and arranger Allen Toussaint who died in 2015.

White’s stamp will feature an illustration created by artist Dale Stephanos based on a 2010 photograph of White by Kwaku Alston. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.

In the announcement, the agency heralded White as an icon of American television who “shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades.”

Betty White died in 2021, weeks before her 100th birthday.

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Asking Eric: Supervisor lied about sending letter of recommendation

Dear Eric: Several months ago, I saw a part-time position I wanted to apply for. I would also be able to keep a job I currently have if selected for the new position.

As part of the application process, I needed two references. I asked a current supervisor for one. I told her I would be able to keep working for her if chosen for the new position. She agreed to write the reference.

Roughly every two weeks in the time between her saying “yes” and the deadline, I would ask if she had any questions for me and/or had everything she needed to write the reference.

Then, a few weeks ago, and still ahead of the deadline, I asked for a copy of the reference so I could see what she thought my strengths and weaknesses were. She never acknowledged any of these emails. Now that the deadline for the position has passed, she has informed me that her reference may have gotten lost in cyberspace. I am feeling a wave of feelings and not sure of the right one to feel.

– Lost Reference

Dear Reference: I’m sorry this happened to you. There are plenty of explanations for what went wrong on your supervisor’s end, but I doubt any of them involve mysterious disappearances in cyberspace. That’s not really a thing. It sounds like she is either disorganized, flakey or didn’t actually feel comfortable writing a recommendation and didn’t want to tell you. All of these can make for a rocky working relationship going forward.

If you intend to keep working this job, it would be helpful to have a conversation about what she considers your strengths and opportunities without the reference hanging over the proceedings. Ideally, this would happen in a yearly or quarterly review setting, with another supervisor or Human Resources representative present.

If she secretly has reservations about the work you do, you should know about it so you can make informed decisions about your professional future. This could also be a good time to talk about communication styles and expectations as they relate to your job.

The initiative you took in getting the references and regularly checking in is commendable. You did everything right. The only thing I’d suggest for next time is to have a backup reference ready with enough time for them to jump in should your primary references not deliver.

Read more Asking Eric and other advice columns.

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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How Alabama football became one of nation’s leaders in takeaways under Kane Wommack

Alabama football defensive coordinator Kane Wommack learned the lesson years ago from his dad, Dave.

Takeaways are almost like muscle memory.

“You have to continue to preach it,” Wommack said. “You have to continue to drill it.”

So Wommack does, and he has. Again and again and again. As a result, the No. 7 Crimson Tide has become one of the nation’s best at taking the ball away from the opposing offense.

Alabama has grabbed at least three takeaways in five consecutive games. The Crimson Tide (8-2, 4-2 SEC) is averaging 2.4 takeaways per game, ranked No. 3 in the country.

That’s one more takeaway per game than a season ago (1.4 per game, which ranked 58th nationally). In 2022, Alabama averaged 1.1 takeaways per game. In 2021, 1.3. Even in 2020, the most recent national championship season, the defense averaged fewer takeaways: 1.7 per game.

Did Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer see this coming when he hired Wommack?

“Yeah, I did,” DeBoer said. “I think, with the nature of some of the things that he really liked to do, and I think this year for Kane there’s been a been a combination of trying to incorporate what you’ve done in the past, but also adjusting to your personnel and maybe where your strengths are with our defense right now.”

And creating a constant emphasis on takeaways.

Every practice, Alabama’s defense takes part in a takeaway circuit. Wommack said that started in spring ball then continued in fall camp and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during practice during the season.

There are six different drills. Each one has a different point of emphasis. One might be interceptions. Another, punching the ball out. Another, raking at the quarterback. If there’s a way to take the ball away from the offense, Alabama’s defense is practicing it.

“What happens is, all of a sudden, you do those drills day in and day out, and then you go to scout-team periods and you say, ‘OK, this period right here, we’re not going to work on tackling, we’re going to work on punching the ball out. I don’t want to see any wrap-ups,” Wommack said. “All I want to see is you punching the ball out.‘”

If Alabama players aren’t doing it enough, Wommack will let them know. Loudly. That goes for interceptions, too.

“If we’re dropping too many picks at practice, he’ll get onto us for that too just because it’s money we’re leaving on the floor,” safety Malachi Moore said.

Buy-in from the players has been key. It’s not just about reps but also mindset. Alabama’s defense puts value on getting the ball.

“That changes the whole narrative of the game,” linebacker Jihaad Campbell said. “That gets the offense on the field to score points. That’s football right there. That shows grit. That shows toughness.”

A sack is good, but a strip sack is much better. A deflected pass is good, but an interception is better. A tackle for a loss is good, but forcing a fumble is better.

Wommack has drilled that, and the players have taken it to heart.

“When Domani Jackson comes off the edge on a corner fire, he thinks, ‘Oh, I have a chance to knock this ball out,’ and that’s the exact same drill he’s been doing for nine months now, is punching the ball in that exact moment,” Wommack said.

Consider it muscle memory.

Alabama has developed it, which became clear the past few games. Now, the Crimson Tide will look to further the takeaway success on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC) in Norman against Oklahoma.

“It’s becoming the identity of who we are as a team,” Wommack said. “That has to continue moving forward.”

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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Mashed potatoes: The essential Thanksgiving side dish

It should go without saying that Thanksgiving Day is not the time for experimentation.

It simply is not and this is not open to discussion.

The single biggest one-day eating extravaganza in the year is not the occasion to break out a new, untried recipe on your unsuspecting friends and family. You can whip up a batch of Aloo Matar Tikki later on after the guests have gone home and you have time to experiment in the kitchen.

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Casagrande: Trail of broken promises paint portrait of Sen. Tuberville hypocrisy

This is an opinion column.

Tommy Tuberville is about loyalty.

He believes in the value of a contract.

When someone signs their name to a piece of paper, looks you in the eye and makes a promise, dadgumit, that means something.

Kids these days.

It’s a shame they can’t honor those agreements. The Senator representing Alabama said that’s the biggest complaint he hears from his old coaching buddies. These college football players sign NIL deals with collectives and then … poof.

They’re gone.

No warning, no chance to change their mind.

So there’s a coach, bound by his employment contract, left high and dry because a better opportunity came along for one of his players.

These coaches can’t take much more disloyalty so they’re turning to a champion of integrity. After years of failed attempts to pass a national NIL law to tame the wild west of the free market created in 2021, Tuberville has some ideas for the Republican-led Senate when it gavels in come January.

Among them: Penalize those greedy athletes.

RELATED: Penalize NIL deal-breaking athletes under new law, Sen. Tuberville says

The first-term Senator spoke about it with a few reporters before speaking to the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham this week. He mentioned the idea for “some kind of penalty” for players breaking NIL contracts during a long answer speaking in general about possible legislation.

It begged a follow up. So I asked the Senator what kind of penalties he had in mind. There were some hems and haws, talk of exemptions, but he was clear in his intentions.

“My thoughts are, you know, you sign a contract on NIL, I mean you can’t just up and break it,” Tuberville said. “I mean you gotta … you wanna sign a year, two-year, three-year, you got a three-year contract. If you break it, there’s gotta be some kind of penalty.”

Because contracts have always been sacred to Tuberville.

Like in 1998, when as the head coach at the University of Mississippi, rumors about other coaching jobs were swirling. On the Wednesday before playing the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving, Tuberville told his weekly radio show audience he was committed to that program.

“They’ll have to carry me out of here in a pine box,” Tuberville said two days before a better contract at Auburn lured him to take the head coaching job there.

Yikes, bad example.

A former Tiger receiver recalled Tuberville’s commitment to program loyalty after arriving. Tyler Siskey, who went on to coach at multiple colleges around the southeast, spoke about the meeting he had with Tuberville this summer on a podcast he cohosts.

The coach told him if he planned on running out of that tunnel next year, he’d be doing that with the opposing team. A few weeks later, his roommate and a starting receiver learned through a radio news report his scholarship was being revoked after leaving practice, Siskey said.

Right, right, well that was more than 20 years ago.

Surely a misunderstanding or maybe Tuberville learned some lessons from these experiences.

After Tuberville *air quotes* resigned from Auburn in 2008 with a $5.08 million buy-out, he landed at Texas Tech. Quite a deal to exit a contract early but a fresh start nonetheless in west Texas. And Year 1 went well enough to get a five-season contract after finishing 8-5.

Two years later … oh boy.

A 5-7 season was followed by a 7-5 record and a need to regroup.

At Cincinnati.

The story Texas Tech recruits told placed Tuberville at a recruiting dinner on a Friday night when the topic of his long-term plans for the future was addressed.

Offensive line recruit De’Vonte Danzey told Wreckem247.com that Tuberville didn’t give much of an answer before excusing himself from the table. He never returned and the following morning, Tuberville was announced as the new head coach at Cincinnati and Denzey eventually signed at Auburn where he played from 2013-15. He’s now the offensive line coach at South Florida.

Years later, Tuberville told AL.com that recruiting dinner was “totally false,” but his old boss at Texas Tech explained some of the dynamic in play at the time.

“As recently as yesterday (Tuberville) looked me in the eye and gave me his commitment and dedication to Texas Tech football and leading this football program forward,” AD Kirby Hocutt told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal the day Cincinnati announced it hired Tuberville.

A five-year contract at Cincinnati was more attractive.

Hmmmmm…

“My thoughts are, you know, you sign a contract on NIL, I mean you can’t just up and break it.”

Hmmmmm…

“… You got a three-year contract. If you break it, there’s gotta be some kind of penalty.”

Yeah …

Well, turns out Tuberville might not be the best voice of this integrity movement.

The Pin Box Act wouldn’t carry the weight of this former coach who transitioned seamlessly into the political arena.

That said, there’s room for legislation to streamline this unregulated world of NIL its relationship with recruiting and transfers.

Leading with the idea of protecting coaches and administrators from greedy athletes might not be the way to sell it.

And tapping Tuberville as the champion of contract integrity could be even dumber.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.

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