Alabama head coach Nate Oats wasted no time when news came out that new transfer Jaykwon Walton from Witchita State was arrested in Tuscaloosa Saturday night and charged with second-degree possession of marijuana.
Oats immediately dismissed Walton and released a statement saying, “[Alabama is] no longer recruiting Jaykwon Walton, and he will not be a student-athlete at the University of Alabama,” said Oats.
Walton hadn’t officially joined the team yet. Still, after what happened back in January with Darius Miles and Brandon Miller being involved in a murder investigation, the Tide head coach didn’t want any more bad publicity.
Even though Miles was directly involved in the shooting death of a young Tuscaloosa woman, Miller was on the scene and brought Miles his gun even though he was not directly involved.
Miller cooperated with authorities, but many in the sports world thought that Alabama should have punished Miller for his involvement.
The bad publicity followed the Crimson Tide into the NCAA Tournament. Alabama got through its first two games but lost in the Sweet 16 to eventual National Runner-Up, San Diego State.
Had Walton signed with the Tide, this would have been his fourth team. He played his first two years at Georgia, then Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, before signing with Wichita State.