Alabama legend Ha Ha Clinton-Dix reveals why he made Dijon Lee face the music amid Kalen DeBoer’s rant on the sideline
The Alabama Crimson Tide suffered a loss, and Kalen DeBoer let one of his players hear about it on the sideline. What Ha Ha Clinton-Dix did in that moment is the part of the story worth your attention.
Just about everyone has seen the clip at this point. Alabama Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer, incensed on the sideline, screaming at Dijon Lee, “You cost us the game.” The video made the rounds quickly. Most of the conversation has focused on DeBoer losing his cool and on Lee absorbing the blame for the loss.
Not many people caught what happened next. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, a true Crimson Tide legend, stepped in and made sure Lee did not walk away from the moment.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix made Dijon Lee face the music
Lee was getting chewed out. DeBoer was yelling in his face, and Lee was not trying to hear it. He started to walk away.
That’s where Clinton-Dix stepped in. He was standing on the sideline, and he told Lee not to run from it. Stand there and listen.
Lee did exactly that. He listened to Clinton-Dix, and then he stood in place and let DeBoer finish what he had to say.
Clinton-Dix later revealed his reaction and explained why he made Lee stay put.
“You win as a team, you lose as a team. All about having class in everything we do. Love these young men,” Clinton-Dix said.
Why the Clinton-Dix moment matters for DeBoer and Alabama
I believe this moment is important for two reasons.
For one, it speaks to the culture DeBoer is building in Tuscaloosa. Players get held accountable, even in the most heated moments, even when it would be easier to let a frustrated kid walk off.
Second, it speaks to the staff DeBoer has assembled around him. Clinton-Dix won national championships at Alabama and is one of the best safeties ever to come through the program. He has no built-in loyalty to DeBoer. He probably didn’t know much about DeBoer before DeBoer took this job.
Even so, Clinton-Dix is out there fighting for his head coach. He shows up, and he makes players own their mistakes. When a former Crimson Tide star is enforcing your message without being asked, that tells you the buy-in is real.
It all starts at the top with accountability, and DeBoer made that clear after the game.
“Emotional maturity is what it comes down to. We didn’t respond the right way,” DeBoer said.
DeBoer is coaching in his own skin in his third year
This was a major step for DeBoer.
Think back to Malachi Moore and the antics that led to his temper tantrum. DeBoer didn’t defend it, but he didn’t reprimand it either. He chalked it up to an emotional game and said his team had to be better than that. It was a soft response to a moment that called for something firmer.
This time, he nipped it in the bud. He told everyone that the moment wasn’t good enough, that it can’t happen, and that it cost Alabama the game. There was no hedging and no blaming the emotions of the day.
Now in his third year, DeBoer is showing that this is his program. He feels comfortable. He can coach in his own skin and get on guys when they need it, and he has a staff that backs him up when he does.
Nobody in Tuscaloosa is happy about the result on the scoreboard. In my opinion, though, how DeBoer and his staff handled the aftermath is a major win for the Crimson Tide, despite the loss.
