Alabama sophomore WR Calvin Ridley caused a minor stir this week when he sent a tweet to recently departed offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who “mutually parted ways” with the school just days before the Crimson Tide are scheduled to take on Clemson in the national title game.

The tweet was sent on Jan. 3, when Ridley thanked Kiffin for what he’s done over the course of his Alabama tenure:

On Thursday, the sophomore wide receiver was asked about the tweet, and gave his response in the below video:

“It’s just out of respect,” Ridley says in the video. “It was ‘thank you for what you did’ and just respect and all that.”

Though Ridley has 67 catches for 733 yards and seven touchdowns this season, he recorded only one catch for six yards in the semifinal victory over Washington.

It remains to be seen how many targets Ridley will receive under new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian in Monday night’s championship game against Clemson.