UAB is suspending safety Sirad Bryant, the player who stomped on Max Gilbert’s foot in the Blazers’ 56-24 loss at Tennessee, for one game according to head coach Trent Dilfer. The Blazers have their first open date of the season this week before hosting Army in a conference matchup on Oct. 4.
Bryant will not play against the Black Knights as he serves his team imposed one-game suspension.
“He is brokenhearted,” Dilfer said of Bryant Monday. “He knows he made a mistake. He is willing to take the consequences of his poor decision-making. As he said to me, he allowed his outside circumstances to affect his choice. He knows he is wrong for that and he knows there’ll be consequences to that. He won’t play in the next game. He’ll still be a full member of our team. We love Sirad. Sirad is a great kid, a very big part of our team. He’ll still help us try to go win against Army, he just won’t be on the field.
“He really feels like he let down Blazer Nation, he let down his teammates, he let down himself. But I also told him it’s in the past. All you can do is ask for forgiveness, move on and make better decisions next time. We will support him, lock arms with him and love him through this.”
More From RTI: Everything Tennessee Football Coach Josh Heupel Said on The Mike Keith Show Before MSU Game
Bryant stomped on Max Gilbert’s foot after a made extra point in the first half of Tennessee’s win over UAB. The officials flagged Bryant for unsportsmanlike conduct but did not eject him from the game. Bryant continued to play the rest of the game, totaling four tackles.
Through four games this season, Bryant has totaled 17 tackles two pass breakups. Bryant totaled 59 tackles, one interception and one pass breakup for the Blazers last season.
UAB is 2-2 (0-1 American) this season with losses against Navy and Tennessee as well as wins against Alabama State and Akron. The Blazers are looking for their first conference win when they host Army without Bryant in two weeks.
