After Alabama’s 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt, the spotlight quickly shifted to the program’s more significant issues — namely, how team captain Malachi Moore carried himself.
The 23-year-old defensive back and NFL Draft prospect has patched things up since, but his Saturday antics sparked some chatter.
Alabama’s coaching staff has to punish Malachi Moore. He went too far last night, and allowing it without punishment can’t be the message Kalen DeBoer sends to the rest of the team. pic.twitter.com/hZ25qy4mKK
— Clint Lamb (@ClintRLamb) October 6, 2024
And that chatter includes but isn’t limited to former Alabama players like Damien Harris, who know that there’s a certain standard to be upheld when you play for the Crimson Tide. Nick Saban may not be walking through that door, but according to Harris, Moore owes it to himself and his teammates for the spotlight not to be on his “complete and utter bullsh*t,” especially after a loss like Saturday.
The two-time captain acknowledged his faults in a statement on X, but that came well after he was taken to task by a former two-time National Champion in Harris, who now serves as a co-host on The Athletic’s Until Saturday podcast with David Ubben and Chris Vaninni.
And Harris didn’t pull many — if any — punches.
“No. 13, Malachi Moore, now, brother, I don’t know, but I’m not trying to disrespect you,” said Harris, “but what you did last night on that football field was complete and utter bullsh*t. You’re a two-time captain, somebody that has their hand and footprint at Denny Chimes… Well, how did you show up yesterday? The only thing I remember seeing from you is slamming a guy’s head on the ground unnecessarily, punching yourself, throwing your mouthpiece…
“Not even in a way of, ‘OK, nobody’s looking. I’m bigger than the game. I’m bigger than the team. I’m bigger than this moment. Hey, everybody, look at me. Look at how pissed off I am. Look at what I got to say about it. Let me pick up a ridiculous 15-yard penalty for literally no apparent reason.’ And you call yourself a two-time captain?
“I can tell y’all what would’ve happened in the days that I was there. We would’ve tried to rip the ‘C’ off of his jersey. We would’ve lit him up. From every coach, every player, Reuben Foster, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Daron Payne, Jalen Hurts, Jerry Jeudy, everybody would’ve been on this dude’s head. Like, we don’t do that. What’s up with that?
“If we get out there and we get beat, we gonna handle all of our issues internally. No guy is bigger and above this program, so you don’t get to act like that. But I’m gonna tell y’all exactly why he feels like he can act like that is you go and look at what Kalen DeBoer said in his postgame press conference about Malachi Moore. ‘Oh, he’s one of our guys, and he’s one of our leaders. And, yeah, we expect him to use this and only bring positivity for the rest of the season.’ Man, damn that! What’s up with that?
“Nick Saban would have said that? No. That’s bullsh*t. That don’t help you win games. That does not help you control the talent and the level of guys that you’ve never coached before, guys that you’ve never have experience with at a program you don’t know what it takes to win these kind of games. And you just come in here trying to be everybody’s buddy-buddy, trying to be everybody’s friend. Well, what does that get you? That gets you beat against Vandy on the road.”
📺Our co-host, former Alabama RB Damien Harris (@DHx34), rips Alabama DB Malachi Moore for his tantrum against Vanderbilt.
“What you did on that field was complete and utter bull****. You are a two-time captain.”
On tmrw’s Until Saturday: https://t.co/2rlzM0YjjQ @davidubben pic.twitter.com/ZZnjgNMsfn
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 7, 2024
Harris’s blistering critique of Moore (and DeBoer) touched on more than just one player’s outburst—it underscored what many Alabama faithful view as a fundamental shift in the program’s culture. With Saban’s departure and DeBoer’s arrival, there’s been growing speculation about whether the program’s standard of discipline and accountability has wavered.
“That pisses me off because I got some hardware,” said Harris. “It’s because I was somebody that did it. I was somebody that lived it…I lived by the code. I played the game the right way. I listened. I had somebody there in Nick Saban, who put me in a position to be accountable for my performance — good or bad. To handle myself with respect and with class, and we’re just not seeing that. So, Alabama, what’s up?”
Harris wasn’t just calling out Moore — he was calling out the program. DeBoer’s player-friendly approach might be blurring the line between support and accountability. If Moore, a team captain, can act out without serious consequences, what’s that say about leadership?
According to AL.com, Alabama has since “handled” the response to Moore’s actions “internally,” and he will not be suspended.
It doesn’t sound like Harris buys that DeBoer will be able to maintain the same level of discipline that Saban instilled in the program that became so heavily decorated with hardware during his tenure. This is DeBoer’s first true test as Saban’s successor, and how he responds could define not just this season but the future of Alabama football.