In a shocking turn of events, news broke earlier this week that senior running back and team captain Damari Alston has parted ways with the Auburn Tigers football team.
Rumors circulated online, as they do, and Head Coach Hugh Freeze confirmed Alston's departure in his press conference on Monday, explaining that Alston "failed to meet the standards and expectations of our program."
In the wake of the Tigers' third straight conference loss and when fans' confidence in the head coach is at an all-time low, it was not the best news to receive. Many of Alston's former teammates expressed well-wishes on social media after Alston's departure was confirmed, leading to speculation that Freeze has lost the locker room.
Athletic Director John Cohen shared a response to the loss of Alston with AL.com, but was careful to avoid criticizing either side.
“The 2025 lens tells you that there are agents, there’s money involved,” Cohen said. “The nature of things like redshirts, the nature of things like the length of a career. All those things are suddenly a factor, which I completely understand...
“I think that young people in the NIL era are forced to do what’s in their best interest, in their family’s best interest, first, and I don’t blame anybody for that. That’s the way it is. There’s no blame, there’s no finger pointing.”
Obviously, there are many factors to consider in this day and age of college football, but it's hard to put a positive spin on a the departure of a senior player who was voted team captain by all of his teammates and was considered to be a locker room leader.
The Tigers minus Alston will return to action this weekend against Missouri in Jordan-Hare Stadium.