Deontae Lawson and the Alabama Crimson Tide suffered a shocking upset loss at the hands of Vanderbilt on Saturday. As the game wound down, Alabama defensive back Malachi Moore made his frustrations known.
After tackling Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Moore appeared to slam the QB’s head into the ground by his face mask when the play was over. Moore was also seen throwing his mouthpiece in anger and, at one point, kicking the ball off the line of scrimmage. This action drew a delay of game penalty against the Tide.
Moore has faced serious criticism for his actions. Some on social media have suggested the team discipline or even suspend the DB. However, Moore’s teammate Deontae Lawson came to his defense after the game.
“Malachi gives everything he’s got every day,” said Lawson. “He’s been doing this … it is his fifth year, so it hurts him more. It hurt me to see him like that because that’s my brother.”
An emotional Deontae Lawson spoke about Malachi Moore’s 4th quarter frustration in loss to Vandy:
“Malachi gives it everything he’s got. He’s been doing this … it is his fifth year, so it hurts him more. It hurt me to see him like that because he’s my brother.”@TDAlabamaMag pic.twitter.com/zl5C12XmjB
— Stephen M. Smith (@CoachingMSmith) October 6, 2024
After the game, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said Moore was “much better” in the locker room.
“The guy pours everything into what he does,” DeBoer said. “Doesn’t make it OK. We want to be first class in everything we do. There’s a lot of guys that are very frustrated. The key is we turn that frustration into positive moving forward and make sure that we remember what we feel here tonight and remember that when we show up tomorrow and Tuesday and Wednesday, all season long. Malachi, I’m 100% confident he will do that.”
Lawson went on to explain that it’s a long season and all of the team’s goals are still there for them.
After the 40-35 loss in Nashville, the Tide will look to get back on track in Week 7 against South Carolina.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
