Jamea Harris’ stepfather reacts to comments from Nate Oats: ‘His words cut so deep’
By Keith Farner
Published:
Jamea Harris’ stepfather, Kelvin Heard, has reacted to comments from Alabama coach Nate Oats in recent days about the January shooting that claimed the life of Harris.
Oats, who has since apologized for the comments, said on Tuesday that Brandon Miller was at the “wrong spot at the wrong time” and that Miller “did nothing wrong.”
“There was only one person in the wrong place at the wrong time and it was Jamea,” Heard said in comments made to Joseph Goodman of AL.com. “When I heard him say that my heart hit the floor. His words cut so deep. It’s just downright disrespectful.”
The comments came after New testimony on Tuesday described how former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles obtained the gun used in the fatal shooting of Harris on Jan. 15, which thrust teammate Brandon Miller into the spotlight.
An investigator testified in court that Miles texted Miller the night of the shooting asking Miller to bring Miles his gun. Miller’s car was also said to be recovered at the scene with multiple bullet holes in the windshield.
On Wednesday, Athletics Director Greg Byrne explained that, “Brandon has been fully cooperating witness and is not a suspect.”
“He brought a gun to where a person was murdered and he did nothing wrong?” Heard said. “Jamea could still be alive.”
“Brandon Miller is knee deep in this situation no matter how they want to spin this,” Heard said. “We trust the D.A. and the work that they’re doing.”
No matter how the Alabama basketball season ends, Heard has already reached a conclusion about it.
“This season is stained in Jamea’s blood,” Heard said. “After what this coach said, for us as a family, this season is stained in the blood of Jamea Harris and it’s not ever washing out. Coach Oats crossed the line [Tuesday]. He said they prayed at practice. They weren’t praying for Jamea. They were praying for their own players.”
Goodman reported that it did not sit well with Heard that Alabama’s basketball coach would call former NFL player Ray Lewis for advice before reaching out and offering condolences to Jamea’s mother. Lewis, of course, was famously involved in a murder investigation in 2000, and testified as a witness against two of his friends.
“It just made everything clear because we could not comprehend why he would reach out to Ray Lewis,” Heard said. “I’m not trying to rehash the situation with Ray Lewis, but I’m old enough to remember, and now it makes sense.
“He has time to call Ray Lewis, but he doesn’t have time to call Jamea’s mother.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
