Photo by www.Yahoo!Sports
This story about Ha Ha is not ha-ha funny.
Alabama safety Ha Ha Conrad-Dix, a projected first-round draft pick next year, has been suspended by coach Nick Saban for an unspecified time for an unspecified reason.
And don’t even consider getting more than that out of Saban.
”I want to be consistent,” he said. ”When guys get suspended, I never, ever say what it’s for. So I’m not going there. So don’t ask me. It’s the way it always happens. Every guy. If they do right, they wouldn’t be getting suspended. I don’t know for how long this will be, so don’t ask me that either. ”
Losing Clinton-Dix, second on the team with 24 tackles, could be critical. Nick Perry, his backup, is out for the season after shoulder surgery, leaving untested sophomores Landon Collins and Geno Smith as replacements. It will not matter this weekend; No.1 Alabama plays Georgia State. But if Clinton-Dix is out for an extended period, it could be trouble for the Crimson Tide.
”Landon Collins really doesn’t play the same position,” the coach said. ”We’ve been working him at that position. Nick Perry was really Ha Ha’s backup. Nick Perry’s out, he had shoulder surgery. So he would have obviously been a guy who had experience, who played a lot in games before, who would have played there. But we’ve been working Landon and Geno Smith, primarily. We moved Geno to safety way back in fall camp. So those are the two guys that will primarily play that position in this game.”
Clinton-Dix is Alabama’s fourth announced suspension since the start of preseason camp, joining linebacker Trey DePriest, Smith and tight end Malcolm Faciane.
”He’s a great player and obviously he will be missed, but I’m confident in the guys we have behind him and the guys in the secondary to make adjustments,” Tide defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan said. ”I think we’ll be all right.”
