Nick Saban suspends Alabama lineman arrested for DUI

Over the weekend, Alabama offensive lineman Hunter Brannon was arrested and charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence. Tuesday evening, Nick Saban announced that the redshirt freshman has been suspended and will not dress for games for the foreseeable future.

Brannon will also be facing “internal discipline,” which, along with other unspecified requirements, he will have to successfully complete before he’ll be permitted to dress for games again.

The fact that Brannon has never played a game for the Crimson Tide since coming to Tuscaloosa a year and a half ago, and thus isn’t likely to miss any playing time because of the suspension, will likely not go unnoticed by those who feel the need to criticize Saban’s punitive measures whenever such occasions present themselves.

Al.com shared some of the details that led to the arrest and subsequent suspension:

Brannon was allegedly doing donuts in his car near Arby’s on University Boulevard and hit another vehicle, Tuscaloosa police spokesperson Teena Richardson told AL.com. Brannon then asked the owner of the other car to not call police and left the scene, according to Richardson, but police were given his tag number and stopped him around Hackberry Lane and Bryant Drive.

Coming out of high school in Cullman, Ala., Brannon was a three-star member of the Tide’s 2017 recruiting class. 247Sports.com‘s composite board had him listed as the No. 12 center in the country in that year.