Alabama AD Greg Byrne makes first on-camera statement since Bohannon firing
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — Wednesday at Greystone Golf and Country Club was the scene of the annual Celebrity Pro-Am, the unofficial kickoff to the Regions Tradition. It's always an opportunity for some big names to hit the links for a good cause.
However, for Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne, this past year has been anything but a hole in one. Wednesday was the first time Byrne's commented publicly after firing head baseball coach Brad Bohannan for the coach's alleged involvement in wagering in games he was coaching in.
"It's something that I'll tell ya, the kids have been really good. Having the news come out on game day was a challenge," said Byrne.
As for if the NCAA will take action on Alabama baseball following the Bohannon firing, Byrne does not expect any postseason punishment, and it is currently still full speed ahead when it comes to the SEC Tournament, and potentially beyond.
"The full expectation is that we'll be able to be part of the postseason and obviously we know that as soon as we knew there was a challenge, we dealt with it immediately and so we anticipate them being able to be full participation," said Byrne.
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People around this athletic program know, when you represent Alabama, you’re constantly under a microscope, during good times, and bad.
"When you're at Alabama that light is bright and when they make a mistake, a lot of people are paying attention to it. We're very fortunate for the passion and the enthusiasm of our fanbase, it's one of our absolute strengths, but with that comes great responsibility too. We will never be perfect, we're never going to be perfect, I promise you it's not possible when you have that many people combined together but I also am very proud of what we're doing as a department," said Byrne.
Alabama baseball hits the road for the lone star state this weekend to square off with the Texas A&M Aggies, and will conclude regular season play with Ole Miss with a three game set.
