Nate Oats released a controversial statement Tuesday regarding star freshman Brandon Miller’s involvement in delivering the gun that murdered Jamea Harris in Tuscaloosa in mid January.

Miller, according to reports and police testimony, was asked to deliver the gun used to murder Harris to Darius Miles, who was dismissed from the team following his arrest last month. According to reports, Miles then handed off the weapon to Michael Davis, who is also charged in the murder.

Police stated Tuesday that there is currently no crime to convict Miller of, prompting Oats’ comments. Oats, when asked Tuesday if he had known of Miller’s involvement, delivered the following statement:

It’s easy to see why this ruffled some feathers. Oats’ tone seemingly downplayed the severity of the situation at hand, especially one concerning at least 3 of his players: Miles, Miller and Jaden Bradley, who was reported to be present at the scene.

He released the following statement later Tuesday afternoon clarifying his original comments:

I thought it was important for me to clarify the unfortunate remarks I made earlier. This entire time I’ve tried to be thoughtful in my words relative to this tragic incident, and my statements came across poorly. We were informed by law enforcement of other student-athletes being in the vicinity, and law enforcement has repeatedly told us that no other student-athletes were suspects—they were witnesses only. Our understanding is that they have all been fully truthful and cooperative. In no way did I intend to downplay the seriousness of this situation or the tragedy of that night. My prayers continue to go out to Jamea Harris’s family.