During the first half of Alabama's 93-75 win Tuesday over the Missouri Tigers, Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats pushed an opposing player during a bit of a brush-up following a rebound, and he's causing a stir on social media over it.
The incident occurred after Alabama's Aaron Estrada and Missouri's Anthony Robinson II battled for a rebound. From there, Estrada and Mizzou forward Aidan Shaw exchanged words.
Nate Oats pushing players. pic.twitter.com/XiCyTLpbO3
— CHANNEL (@CHANNEL_TN_) January 17, 2024
Before it could advance beyond talking to one another, Oats stepped in and pushed the Missouri player back toward their side of the court.
On the court, Oats wasn't called for a foul, and a referee grabbed hold of Oats to prevent anything else.
Afterward, Oats said he apologized to Tigers head coach Dennis Gates following the game.
"Before I start talking about the game, I just want to address the situation at the under-8 media timeout, the scuffle that happened next to our bench," Oats said. "I've known Coach Gates for a long time. I was a high school coach. He was one of the best recruiters in the country. I have all the respect in the world for the job he's done as an assistant and a head coach before he got to Missouri, as a head coach here. He had one of the best first years in the SEC since I've been here in a long time. So it is no disrespect to him or his program. I apologized to both Coach Gates and Aidan Shaw. Aidan seems like a great kid and it's an unfortunate situation, but I apologized to both of them."
Nate Oats and Dennis Gates handshake following the Alabama win over Missouri pic.twitter.com/QrG12KJAZ6
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) January 17, 2024
Following the events, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey issued a statement and a public reprimand of Oats on behalf of the conference.
"Nate Oats' actions were unacceptable and violated the expectations for conduct and sportsmanship as established by the membership of the Southeastern Conference," Sankey said. "Under no circumstances should a coach make intentional contact with a student-athlete on an opposing team."
The public reprimand was issued against Oats for being "in violation of sportsmanship expectations set forth by the Commissioner and SEC Bylaws established by the Conference membership."
Fans on X weren't happy with the SEC's response, issuing their own public reprimands.
Lemme get this straight...
Tony Vitello get suspended 3 Games for ChestBumping an Ump
Tony Vitello gets suspended for making a Phone Call to Maui Ahuna..
But Nate Oats gets absolutely nothing for puting his hands on a student athlete..
We see you Greg Sankey
— SullenSerf (@SullenSerf) January 17, 2024
"Lemme get this straight... Tony Vitello get suspended 3 Games for ChestBumping an Ump. Tony Vitello gets suspended for making a Phone Call to Maui Ahuna.. But Nate Oats gets absolutely nothing for puting his hands on a student athlete.. We see you Greg Sankey," one user wrote.
The SEC reprimanded Nate Oats for pushing Mizzou player last night. ?Under no circumstances should a coach make intentional contact with a student-athlete on an opposing team,'' Greg Sankey said. Except he did. Player likely gets a flagrant two & is ejected. A coach? Tsk tsk.
— Dana O'Neil (@DanaONeilWriter) January 17, 2024
"The SEC reprimanded Nate Oats for pushing Mizzou player last night. 'Under no circumstances should a coach make intentional contact with a student-athlete on an opposing team,' Greg Sankey said. Except he did. Player likely gets a flagrant two & is ejected. A coach? Tsk tsk," another X user said.
Meanwhile, members of the media such as CBS Sports' Seth Davis called Oats out on his behavior.
This is an absolute no-no. The SEC should fine Nate Oats. You can NOT put your hands on another team's player. https://t.co/nWNxvl4W60
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) January 17, 2024
Alabama came away with the win to improve to 12-5 and 4-0 in SEC play. That's the best conference record in the SEC, so maybe Oats should settle down a bit.
