Alabama News

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Derrick Henry hopes to make a playoff impact again in Baltimore

Running back Derrick Henry enjoyed his most recent playoff victory at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Jan. 11, 2020. Exactly five years later, Henry hopes for another postseason victory on the Ravens’ home field.

There’s a big difference in the two games. Five years ago, when Henry ran for 195 yards on 30 carries, he played for the Tennessee Titans in a 28-12 victory over Baltimore. On Saturday night, the former Alabama All-American will play for the Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a first-round game of the AFC playoffs.

While the Titans had a 6-11 record in 2023 in Henry’s eighth season with Tennessee, the Ravens had the NFL’s best regular-season record at 13-4 last year. But Baltimore lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game, dropping the Ravens’ postseason record to 3-6 since the team defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3, 2013, even though Baltimore has more regular-season victories since that game than all but five other NFL franchises.

“I just wanted to come here to make an impact,” Henry said on Tuesday, “and be an adding piece to this offense, to this team, to help them get to where they want to go, and this week is a first step. We have to work hard this week and practice execution to go out there and do it on Saturday.”

Henry signed as a free agent with the Ravens in March.

“Lamar (Jackson) is the main reason why I came here – to play with a Hall of Fame quarterback, MVP-caliber quarterback,” Henry said. “… Lamar is Lamar, the best player in this league, and I feel like if anyone plays with him, he’s a benefit to any player. I’m happy and glad to be able to play beside him. A future Hall of Famer, and he makes everything different for everybody. He’s a dynamic player. You have to respect his arm and his legs. With 8, you always have a chance.”

Henry finished with the second-most rushing yards in the NFL and tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns in his first season with Baltimore. Henry ran for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns on 325 carries and caught 19 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns as he set the franchise single-season touchdown record.

RELATED: DERRICK HENRY BREAKS NFL RECORD ON HIS BIRTHDAY

Henry ran for 227 yards and one touchdown on 37 carries and caught two passes for 27 yards in two games against the Steelers – Pittsburgh’s 18-16 victory on Nov. 17 and Baltimore’s 34-17 victory on Dec. 21.

“We’re playing the Steelers, so we know it’s always tough,” Henry said. “During the season, those AFC North matchups are four-quarter battles, so that’s what we anticipate. We don’t take the opponent lightly, but we know it’s an AFC North division opponent rivalry, we know it’s going to be a four-quarter battle.”

The Ravens and Steelers square off at 7 p.m. CST Saturday. Prime Video will televise the game.

Henry has 732 rushing yards in his seven postseason games. With 68 more on Saturday night, he would become the fifth player in NFL history with at least 800 in his first eight playoff games, joining four players who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame – Terrell Davis, John Riggins, Marcus Allen and Emmitt Smith.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

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Snow and ice across Alabama makes every road a risk, EMA says: Latest on statewide travel conditions

An 18-wheeler has jackknifed on U.S. 280 at Red Mountain Expressway and authorities expect more traffic issues to come as snow blanketed many Alabama roadways overnight.

”Right now, if I was a driver, I’d consider every bridge impassable whether that bridge is impassable or not,’’ said Jefferson County EMA Director Jim Coker.

”I would consider every road to be a risk and do everything you can to alleviate that risk,’’ he said.

Alabama State Troopers report snow and ice-covered roads for most of central and north Alabama.

See also: Your photos and videos of Alabama snow

U.S. 31 in Vestavia Hills headed toward Homewood near Brookwood Baptist Medical Center is closed and barricaded.

In Talladega County, Childersburg has closed all city roads, said ALEA Lt. Jeremy Burkett, and authorities are on the scene of a wreck on I-20 eastbound between mile markers 165 and 168.

The roads are also covered with ice and snow in Calhoun County where several crash investigations and motorist assists are in progress, Burkett said.

In Pickens County, all roads have been deemed impassable as of 7:30 a.m.

All roads are covered in snow and are becoming impassable in Etowah, Dekalb and Cherokee counties, King said.

There are reports of several crashes on I-59 between the 185 and 190 mile markers in Etowah County.

Authorities in Chambers County are reporting ice and slick spots on multiple roads, with the bridge over Wehadkee Creek being the worst area currently.

So far, said Trooper Cpl. Reginal King, Tuscaloosa, Bibb, Green, Sumter, Dallas, Perry, Hale, Wilcox and Marengo counties are reporting no significant weather or road conditions.

Here are travel reports from across the state:

Birmingham Post:

Jefferson County – Roadways are covered with ice and snow.

St. Clair County – Roadways are covered with ice and snow. Trooper advised it is raining in St. Clair County at this time. There are multiple vehicles and tractor trailers stuck in the two right lanes at Interstate 20 westbound 153 mile marker. ALEA Troopers are on scene clearing the vehicles, no crashes have occurred at this location.

Shelby County – Roadways are covered with ice and snow.

Quad Cities Post:

Colbert County – All roads are covered with snow and ice and are impassable at this time.

Franklin County – All roads are covered with snow and ice and are impassable at this time.

Lauderdale County – All roads are covered with snow and ice and are impassable at this time.

Hamilton Post:

Fayette County – All roads are covered with snow and ice and are impassable at this time.

Lamar County – All roads are covered with snow and ice and are impassable at this time.

Marion County – All roads are covered with snow and ice and are impassable at this time.

Walker County – All roads are covered with snow and ice and are impassable at this time.

Winston County – All roads are covered with snow and ice and are impassable at this time.

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Country music star hospitalized, ‘impaled’ on hunting trip

Riley Green shared on social media recently he had a hunting accident that landed him in the emergency room.

The 36-year-old shared a video on TikTok on Jan. 6, revealing he was in the hospital.

“At the emergency room ‘cause I stepped on a nail (and) impaled my foot,” he posted.

“And when I took my boot off, corn fell as over the floor. The lady came in here wanting to know where all the corn came from. It’s from my boot. You don’t want me to take this other one off, either. It’s real-world problems.”

The Alabama native additionally shared another photo on his Instagram of both of his feet as he laid on a medical bed with the caption, “Hospital vibes.”

Green posted a video from the woods later in the day on Jan. 6 and wrote, “Somethin might be wrong with me at this point.”

In another video, he wrote, “16 degrees outside. What sore foot?”

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.

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‘We are giving Amazon … a tax cut’: Mayor slams Alabama’s online sales tax system

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Lee Corso stumbled while dancing, caught by Leprechaun during ‘College GameDay’

Lee Corso stumbled and nearly fell Thursday in the final moments of ESPN’s “College GameDay” leading up to the Notre Dame-Penn State game.

The 89-year-old analyst was dancing with the Irish’s leprechaun, who caught Corso from falling.

Corso, who was dressed as a leprechaun, appeared to trip over the helmets in front of the “GameDay” set while making his traditional helmet picks.

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.

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The quiz returns: Down in Alabama

It’s National Houseplant Appreciation Day.

Which might make you feel extra bad if you put yours on the porch yesterday to get sun and left it out overnight.

Gov. Kay Ivey has put 37 Alabama counties under a state of emergency today because of threats associated with ice, snow, sleet, freezing rain, slushy mix, poor driving decisions and prolonged below-freezing temperatures.

Especially in the northern part of the state, it’s a great day to stay home. I hope y’all are warm, happy and safe.

Below you’ll find the Alabama News quiz, which makes its return this week. It’s followed by the podcast player, then the daily report.

Ike

Medical cannabis conflict

It seems like a long time since Alabama passed legislation that set up the framework for a medical-marijuana industry that still hasn’t come to be.

It’s been so long, you could almost forget it’s supposed to be a thing. Did it really pass? Was it a crazy dream?

No, it wasn’t a dream (particularly to those whose REM sleep is repressed). The Compassion Act passed in the Spring of 2021. People have started college and earned degrees faster than the Alabama medical cannabis industry could germinate.

AL.com’s Mike Cason reports that right now lawyers are in court-ordered mediation to try to get beyond a current legal impasse.

If you recall, conflict bloomed over the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission’s issuing of business licenses to those who will cultivate, process and dispense the product.

Some companies that didn’t make the cut for licenses are claiming that the Commission isn’t following the law, and the courts have shut down the process while it’s being litigated. Right now, some licenses have been issued, but they’re hung up over dispensaries and integrated companies.

That’s where we are after three efforts to issue licenses in 2023.

Specifics of the mediation are confidential, but Commission attorney Mark Wilkerson said he thinks progress is being made.

Session ‘25: Another bill to watch

Another pre-filed bill for the coming Alabama legislative session is a measure that would exempt the Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention and its local associations in good standing from paying local taxes, reports AL.com’s Heather Gann.

Which sounds really, really specific. That’s just one faith organization.

The bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Phillip Ensler, a Montgomery Democrat, said that’s because the Alabama code requires such local tax exemptions to be granted individually. He said he’d like to eventually see the ability to grant tax exemptions more broadly: “where maybe all churches or religious nonprofits are exempt or if they reach a certain threshold of how much charitable and community work they do.”

Note that religious organizations are exempt from federal taxes but have to be granted local exemptions.

A marketing splash

Come on down, sweet-tea fans.

AL.com’s Howard Koplowitz reports that a contestant accurately identified $3.99 as the current price of a gallon of Milo’s sweet tea. She did not go on to win the “Now and Then” game, however.

Of course, years ago Milo’s Tea Company spun off from Milo’s Hamburgers and is its own company. Milo’s originated in the Birmingham area.

More Alabama News

The podcast

Amanda Khorramabadi is going to tell the story of the rise and fall of Visionland.

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Tears, Scotch and first dates: Alabama fans recall hearing Nick Saban retirement news

At 4 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, Nick Saban began a meeting with his Alabama football team, announcing a decision he’d made just minutes before. At 4:06 p.m., ESPN’s Chris Low tweeted the news to the masses.

“Nick Saban is retiring, sources tell ESPN,” Low said in the post. “He won six national titles at Alabama.”

There they were. The 14 words Crimson Tide fans knew were coming, but dreaded nonetheless.

After Low’s post, the news spread quickly. In Tuscaloosa, Druid City Brewing Company bartender Seth Wright was at work, learning about Saban’s retirement when it flashed across one of the brewery’s televisions.

As the one-year anniversary of Saban’s retirement approached, Wright and several other Alabama fans remembered where they were, and their initial reactions to the news. Wright said he had known the news was coming, but seeing it on the screen was still shocking.

For the rest of the evening, the departure was the only topic of conversation.

“Every person that came in, they were talking about who’s coming in next, what this is going to mean for the program in the future,” Wright said. “I heard so many wild theories about where the program was going to go.”

Lacey Cencula had moved to New York a week before Saban retired, after 29 years in Alabama. She found out while walking down a street from an ESPN infographic, and raced home to follow the rest of the day’s news coverage.

Cencula couldn’t sit around long. She was scheduled to go on a first date that night.

“How do I explain to this person that’s not from Alabama?” Cencula remembered thinking. “Like, ‘Can I cancel? The head coach of my college football team just retired.’”

She went on the date anyway, noting it went fine, though it didn’t lead to any lasting relationship. Cencula described her Manhattan experience that day as “surreal,” far different than the scene back in Alabama.

Just before the news sent a herd of students to Saban’s Walk of Champions statue to leave oatmeal creme pie offerings, as if the extremely alive retiree had gone to be with Coach Bryant, Jarrod Worley got home from work. Worley, who teaches at Alberta School of Performing Arts in Tuscaloosa, let his dogs out before checking his phone.

Then, he saw Low’s tweet.

“Immediate panic sets in,” Worley said. “I copied that tweet, sent it to everyone I know, like, what on earth is going on?”

Worley said he was mostly happy the news broke after the school day.

“I would have had to stop class,” Worley said. “I have an Apple Watch on, I would have paused and been like, ‘OK class, Nick Saban just retired, let me breathe for a minute.”

JD Young, a real estate agent in Lebanon, Tenn., wasn’t so lucky. He saw an ESPN notification, and immediately heard verbal reactions throughout the rest of his office, some shocked, others jubilant.

His phone began going off.

“I had about three text messages,” Young said of the first two minutes after the notification. “Two people walking into my office to ask if I know, and two phone calls.”

Jackson Starling was at work as an IT project manager in Tallahassee, Fla., and had been expecting a retirement announcement after the Crimson Tide’s 2023 season ended with a Rose Bowl loss. Still, the finality of the news ruined his day.

“My wife, who has no interest in football whatsoever, had a glass of Scotch waiting for me,” Starling said.

Starling’s wife understood. Patton Smith, who was working from home as creative director of an advertising agency in Roswell, Ga., confused his.

“I started crying,” Smith said of the moments after he received the Low tweet in a text message. “Literally, I didn’t have any meetings going on at that point. I just started crying. My wife went to Virginia Tech, and she was just like, ‘Who is this lunatic that I’m married to?’ This feels so over the top, but it legitimately felt like I found out my dog died.”

He wasn’t the only one crying that day. But as a UA alum and Tuscaloosa native who grew up hearing the sounds of Bryant-Denny Stadium while playing outdoors, Smith took it especially hard.

When he tallied it up, Smith had attended 10 combined SEC and national championship games during the Saban era. But after 17 seasons, the run was over.

“Most epic run ever,” Smith said. “Yeah, I cried like my dog had died, that’s my legacy.”

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Auburn basketball scouting report: What to know about South Carolina

Auburn basketball sits at the top of SEC standings as one of five teams still undefeated in conference play.

The Tigers will travel to South Carolina next for a chance to move to the No. 1 spot in the in the AP and Coaches polls.

Sitting at 14-1 overall and 2-0 in SEC play, Auburn can jump the current No. 1 Tennesse who is also 14-1 overall, 1-1 in SEC. The Volunteers fell to Florida Tuesday night.

With a lot at stake this weekend, Here’s a closer look at South Carolina:

The season so far

South Carolina enters this game with a 10-5 record, dropping two conference games to Alabama and Mississippi State.

Their best victory this season comes in the ACC/SEC challenge defeating the then No. 25 Clemson 91-88. The Gamecocks non-conference losses were against North Florida, Indiana and Xavier.

South Carolina is currently unranked and sits 77th in KenPom’s efficiency rankings.

Players to watch

Collin Murray-Boyles has led the charge for the Gamecocks nearly averaging a double-double. His 15.1 points and 9.3 rebounds are a team-high in both categories.

University of Alabama transfer Nick Pringle is averaging 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds since arriving to Columbia.

Guard Jamarii Thomas averages 12.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. He leads the team with 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals.

Key to the game

Stay aggressive on defense

The Tigers rank as the nations’ best offense and the 12th-best defense. In its first two conference games, Auburn has shut down the opposing team’s best player.

South Carolina averages 36.3 rebounds per game and Auburn has not been the best on the glass this season. Shutting down South Carolina’s frontcourt will create more opportunities for fastbreak points for Auburn.

Auburn and South Carolina will meet on Saturday, Jan. 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. on the SEC Network.

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Longtime Birmingham activist aims to bring revolutionary change as mayor

Birmingham activist Kamau Afrika said he believed his days of running for office were over. Then he looked around and saw what he described as stagnant and deteriorating conditions in his city that were not addressed by the people in power.

“We elect a lot of Barbie dolls who are unqualified, or we elect religious leaders,” he said.

Either way, he said the popularity contests aren’t working. The 66-year-old lifelong Birmingham resident said he is running for mayor because he has not seen anyone else willing to tackle the most pressing needs that affect the majority of his neighbors.

“We need services in all the communities and not just every four years,” he said.

Afrika has run for several state and local offices including the city council and the Jefferson County Commission. This is his third run for Birmingham mayor.

While political observers mull who will run in the August election and incumbent Mayor Randall Woodfin seeks a third term, Afrika said with a laugh that insiders failed to note that he has already formed his campaign committee.

Afrika knows he is an underdog as he faces a well-funded, two-term mayor.

Afrika has little money, but said he believes in his grassroots message of rebuilding the city and providing opportunities for the marginalized majority.

Afrika’s home in Smithfield is a monument to Birmingham history. His father, a steelworker, built the home and moved his family there around 1951.

At the time, the Smithfield neighborhood was the choice community for Black middle-class families. Photos of his parents line the mantle, and their vintage furniture still sits in the living room.

While Afrika remains in the family home, he laments the decline around him. Meanwhile, downtown is growing.

Afrika conceded that redevelopment is planned nearby through a $50 million Choice Neighborhoods grant from HUD last summer to help revitalize communities just west of downtown in Graymont, Smithfield and College Hills neighborhoods.

The project, championed by Woodfin, is expected to help leverage $294 million in total investment.

Still, Afrika said that most communities lack basic amenities or even grocery stores and continue to languish. Any progress that does occur is only through the advocacy and activism of people like him, Afrika said.

“Randall didn’t keep his word, and I believe in keeping my word,” he said.

The city’s decline occurred over decades and under numerous administrations, he said. However, Afrika said the current administration has been slow to react to community needs. He also points to Birmingham’s record-breaking homicide rate that was set in 2024.

“No mayor can be blamed. However they have to accept some responsibility,” he said regarding the city’s homicide rate. “I’m going to give the police the biggest salaries that I can command, because that’s going to bring them back to Birmingham.”

Afrika said there is a lack of adequate sporting and recreation facilities in the city. More than just a dated building with little programmed activity, Afrika pledged to build two sports and recreation complexes designed to give the city’s youth more opportunities.

“That’s going to be a priority in my administration if I get in there. We’re going to compete with Hoover and the suburban cities who are taking our athletes,” he said. “How many kids could we get involved in the athletic complex that could become the next Dr. J. Michael Jordan or Babe Ruth?”

The recreation centers would also serve as a deterrent to crime committed by youth.

“When you talk about reducing crime you’ve got to give people opportunities,” he said.

Besides increasing police salaries, Afrika wants to offer incentives for both recruitment and solving major cases.

He also wants a city ordinance to increase the minimum wage to $13 an hour for employees of large companies with more than 300 workers.

Afrika, who was born Marlon Walker, legally changed his name in 1985 to Kamau, a Kenyan term for ‘’quiet warrior.‘ He said the change reflected his newfound African cultural awareness.

Afrika has embraced non-conventional methods to highlight his points. In 2001, he stood on the steps of the Jefferson County Courthouse with a rifle as a hearing went on inside about the Water Works and its assets.

He was there to protest the eventual transfer of the utility’s assets from the city to the independent board. He left without incident when told it was illegal to have a firearm in a public demonstration.

Afrika said his theme of inner-city investment and development run counter to the well-financed corporate interests who finance and dominate city politics.

As mayor, Afrika promised to lead as an honest advocate for the people.

“I’m not going to do anything corrupt,” he said. “I’m not going to steal any money and I’m not going to use drugs.”

Afrika grew up in west Birmingham and attended prep school in Maryland. He then graduated from Birmingham-Southern College.

Even his now-shuttered alma mater plays a role in his platform. Afrika was among a group of residents to urge public funding to salvage the longtime institution. But he also advocated for greater community involvement and Black hiring by the institution to revive the bailout.

Afrika says he would work to repurpose the dormant property that sits only a few miles from his home, revitalizing it with outside investment.

Afrika likened his vision for Birmingham to that of former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson who was credited with ushering in an area of development and growth that benefited all sectors of the city, specifically Black businesses.

When pressed, he declined to give specifics, saying if the public wants his ideas and strategies, then they should select him in August.

“I have a plan that’s well thought out and all I need to do is get there to orchestrate it,” he said. “When I say the pen is mightier than the sword, I mean that.”

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