SABAN STATUE Alabama A-Day 2011
Former Alabama coach Gene Stallings speaks outside Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Saturday, April 16, 2011. (The Birmingham News/Mark Almond)
The hot seat is getting hotter for Texas A&M football coach Kevin Sumlin.
Gene Stallings, arguably the school's most influential alum, gave a radio interview in Birmingham Thursday and had several less-than-complimentary things to say about Sumlin and his program. Among other things, the former Alabama and Texas A&M coach -- and ex-A&M player and board of regents member -- told WJOX's "The Opening Drive" that Sumlin and the Aggies need to "clean up their act."
Stallings was first asked about the way Sumlin handled discipline of former Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel, who has since washed out of the NFL due to a hard-partying lifestyle marked by substance abuse. It's worth remembering that Stallings famously was the lone Alabama assistant coach who voted to suspend Joe Namath when the former Crimson Tide star ran afoul of team rules in 1963.
"I felt they really mishandled Manziel," Stallings said. "The worst thing you can do for a player is get him off if he's guilty. You don't have to send him to jail, but he violates the rules so they handicapped him a half a game against Rice. That's real punishment. Now all of a sudden, Johnny thinks he's bigger than the game and you see what his life has turned out to be."
Stallings also sounded off on the now-infamous women's football clinic the school held last month, which resulted in the suspension of two Texas A&M staffers.
"They had a clinic for women," Stallings said. "Maybe 700 people attended. They had some graphics that were --- they were just 'classless' is the word for that. Everything starts at the top. Even though he probably didn't have anything to do with it, it still was on (Sumlin's) watch."
Stallings' grandson, tight end J.C. Chalke, was recruited by Texas A&M last year before ultimately signing with Clemson and Dabo Swinney (who played for Stallings at Alabama). Stallings indicated that his grandson left with a bad taste in his mouth following his recruiting visit to College Station.
"My grandson went down there and that's sort of where I wanted him to go," Stallings said. "He ended up going to Clemson but he was displeased with the way the coaches talked to the players and various things (at Texas A&M). So I think they need clean up their act and get on the right road and coach football and have a good year."
Here's the full audio of the interview: