Chris Beard wrote Charles Bediako a note; Nate Oats called it one of the classiest moves he’s ever seen
By David Wasson
Published:
Although the Charles Bediako saga at Alabama continues to ripple through the Southeastern Conference, Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats made a point after Wednesday night’s 93-74 Alabama victory over Ole Miss to say that he was touched by the actions of Rebels coach Chris Beard in regard to Bediako as a person.
“Some of the opposing coaches understand that we are dealing with a human, a young man that is obviously disappointed. The system is broken as we know it, and he is a victim of a broken system,” Oats said at the beginning of his postgame news conference in Oxford. “I got a call from Coach Beard yesterday asking if Bediako was with us … and he gave me a note at our shootaround to give to Charles.
“It was one of the classiest notes to a kid from an opposing coach, and it doesn’t happen often, and it was one of the classiest moves I’ve ever seen. He didn’t do it to get any recognition, because he assumed I would just hand it to Charles. … I thought it was an extremely well-written, thoughtful thing for an opposing coach to do. He understands we are still coaching young men.”
Alabama was playing its first game without Bediako since Jan. 17. The big man for the Crimson Tide saw his motion for a preliminary injunction denied in circuit court earlier this week. That decision ended Bediako’s brief return to the program after 5 games.
Bediako averaged 10 points per game and also contributed 1.4 blocks per contest. He made 2 starts, playing just over 21 minutes a night. Alabama went 3-2 with him in the rotation.
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An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
