Alabama announced tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Jay Graham resigned from his position Wednesday morning, just before the Crimson Tide’s third spring practice.
Following said practice, head coach Nick Saban commented on Graham’s decision.
“Jay made a decision to do what he did, and we’re gonna support him every way that we can,” Saban said in a Zoom call with reporters. “We certainly wish him and his family the very best.”
Earlier in the afternoon, Graham released a statement detailing why he chose to resign.
“I appreciate Coach Saban and the University of Alabama for their understanding and support during this difficult time,” Graham said in a statement on Twitter. “The events of the past year have taken a toll on millions of people around the world, not only in lost loved ones or lost jobs but in the unprecedented anxieties and mental health.
“I am taking time away from football to see professional help immediately, gain a better understanding of mental health and spend time with loved ones. I hope to rebalance my life so that I am able to return to my passion of coaching and helping student-athletes pursue their dreams. While mental health issues are not new, they are often difficult to discuss, especially for coaches/athletes. I hope my voice inspires others that may be struggling to seek help.
“I would like to thank everyone for their support, grace and words of encouragement.”
Graham was hired to replace Jeff Banks, who joined the coaching staff at Texas following the Crimson Tide’s championship-winning season. Graham came to Tuscaloosa after spending the 2020 campaign at Tennessee, his alma mater, as the Volunteers’ running backs coach.
Graham was one of five new hires Saban made following the conclusion of the 2020 season, including four on the offensive side of the football. Saban also hired Bill O’Brien (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach), Doug Marrone (offensive line coach), Robert Gillespie (running backs coach) and Jay Valai (cornerbacks coach) earlier this offseason.
With his resignation, Alabama is down an assistant coach three days into the spring season. Saban revealed the plan to temporarily replace Graham for the remaining spring practices.
“Obviously our plan is to improvise and adjust,” Saban said. “I think we have other people that can help us coach special teams. Todd Watson, who was an assistant intern doing special teams, we just activated him to do it for now, and we’ll start a search and see if we can find the best coach. There’s no timetable for doing that. We wanna really try to get the best person we can get. It’s not an ideal time, lots of people in spring practice, so we’ll just have to see how it goes and how that process ends up. We just started that a little bit today.”
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