Saban, Others Speak Of Tornado At Draft

Spring storms hit home in Alabama, Deep South

Matt Hayes, Dennis Dillon, Ray Slover Sporting News

Alabama coach Nick Saban says one of his players was injured by the devastating tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa on Wednesday.

Long snapper Carson Tinker was thrown 50 feet from his house and has a concussion, broken wrist and is "pretty beat up" – but in stable condition. However, news reports said Tinker's girlfriend was among the more than 180 dead in Alabama.
A powerful F5 tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Thursday. (AP Photo)

"It's the most devastation I've seen in my lifetime," Saban told ESPN.

At Thursday's NFL Draft, commissioner Roger Goodell began the proceedings by asking for a moment of silence to remember the victims of this week's deadly storms. Saban and Alabama players joined Goodell on the stage.

Before they learned about their NFL futures Thursday night, three Alabama players shared their thoughts on family and friends back in Tuscaloosa, which was hit by a devastating tornado on Wednesday.

Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Mark Ingram spoke with ESPN's Suzy Kolber about the tragedy 45 minutes before the start of the NFL Draft. They were accompanied by coach Nick Saban.

"Our heart is really with the folks back in Alabama who have been affected by this devastating tornado," Saban said, "and it's very tragic, very tragic to our students on campus. I guess you can see it on TV, but you never really get a feel for it until you meet a person who has lost a loved one, or you're standing with a guy who has lost his business, or someone who lost their home.

"I've challenged our players to get out and do something to help these people in some kind of way. Be a team -- not only when we play on Saturday, but go support the people who have supported us."

"It was awful for me, especially for the fans and everybody at the University of Alabama who've been supportive of us," Jones said when asked what it was like to be in New York and watch the events unfolding in Tuscaloosa. "We're here in New York -- it's a big day for us -- and we can't be there to give back like coach said. After the draft and everything is over, I'm going to try and go back to Tuscaloosa and help out."

Ingram said, "I send my prayers and my heart out to all the families in Tuscaloosa and in Alabama. This tragic thing happened, and it was just so devastating to see the pictures and watch the videos. ... We're all going to try and get back and help as much as we can to help get the city back."

The rest of the Alabama team is now staying on campus in the football facilities. Saban said the team would help with community cleanup and support.

"I talked to the students who are gathering to volunteer," Saban said. "You have to be part of the team when things are difficult and tough. Have to be supportive of other people; help in any way you can. Clean up, give someone a ride, contribute food and water. It's the same message I gave our team: We can't just be a team on Saturday, we have to be a team all the time."

The storm passed less than a quarter-mile from Bryant-Denny Stadium, and Saban had left his office at the stadium shortly before the storm arrived to prepare for a speaking engagement.

Reports indicated the Tuscaloosa tornado was rated as F-5 -- the most powerful possible in measurement standards.

"Our video people actually filmed it from the porch outside my office," Saban said. "I told our team it's an opportunity for us to represent ourselves in a way that's supportive of our community in a time of need."

The facility was not damaged. Now is it serving as shelter and offices for public services whose offices and other buildings were damaged or destroyed.

Football and all sports are secondary to the situation across the Deep South, as at least 280 are dead. Law enforcement, public safety officials and military units are searching for survivors and additional victims and life is at a standstill in the wake of devastation.

At least 180 deaths are reported in Alabama, the Birmingham News reported Thursday. Storms that began Wednesday left a path of destruction from Tucaloosa, home of the University of Alabama, to Birmingham.

Among the dead is University of Alabama student Ashley Harrison, 22, the girlfriend of Crimson Tide player Carson Tinker. Her body was found Thursday morning, according to television station WBRC. Harrison's parents flew to Alabama from Dallas to search for their daughter, the TV station reported. Harrison is the first confirmed fatality for a University of Alabama student due to Wednesday's storms.

Official reports from Alabama officials pegged the death toll at 194. While that state was the hardest hit, news reports listed 33 deaths in Mississippi, 33 in Tennessee, 14 in Georgia, five in Virginia and one in Kentucky.

Thousands were reported injured -- with 600 in Tuscaloosa.

Damage from the storms extended from the Mississippi-Alabama line to New York.

The storms are the worst in terms of casualties since April 1974, when 329 people were killed across 13 Southern and Midwestern states. President Obama is scheduled to visit Alabama on Friday as federal emergency and disaster relief efforts began. And a state of emergency was declared in Alabama.

The Auburn football team's visit to the White House to honor its BSC national championship was postponed.

About 415,000 homes in Alabama were without power at the peak of the crisis, according to the Birmingham Business Journal. Alabama Power had restored service to 65,000 and was bringing in full manpower to repair storm damage.

Across the storms' path, the number of homes without power was believed to be close to 1 million.

Tornadoes and storms left destruction across six states, spawned by super-cell thunderstorms. While spring storm reports in recent years have focused on Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, violent weather is common in the Deep South.

Among those who survived Wednesday's storm in Tuscaloosa was University of Alabama baseball player Andrew Miller.

"We looked out the window and saw it coming ... We saw it coming right at us," said Miller, a sophomore outfielder, told the Birmingham News. "We ran, grabbed a mattress, got in the tub and put the mattress over us. The next second it was on top of us."
Miller told the News teammate Josh Rosecrans and his roommates "got in a tub to ride it out as well. But when they got out, everything but the bathroom was just gone."

Alabama's baseball team had finished practice a half hour before the twister roared through town. After the storm, Miller and the team gathered at the campus stadium. All were accounted for, the News reported.

Alabama suspended classes on Thursday and announced it will not conduct final exams next week. Graduation was postponed until August.

Among those helping relief efforts was former Alabama coach Gene Stallings. He step Thursday grilling hamburgers to feed emergency workers. Stallings told media members: "It just didn't feel right to play golf."

Other sports and venues were affected by the storms as well. Officials of Talladega Speedway in Alabama pledged $100,000 for relief efforts. And in Virginia, the home of Nationwide series driver Eric McClure was destroyed. McClure and his family escaped injury.

Those interested in making donations to tornado victim relief in Alabama may do do by visiting the website servealabama.gov, Gov. Bentley announced Thursday.