Alabama Handling Malachi Moore Discipline Internally

The Crimson Tide head coach also opened up about the two-time captain's "rock-solid" devotion to the team, University and community.

Alabama Defensive Back Malachi Moore (13) signals against Vanderbilt at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, TN on Saturday, Oct 5, 2024. / Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

Former No. 1-ranked Alabama's shocking 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt this past Saturday turned the entire college football world upside down. But one major story to come out of this was when the game was nearing its end.

Alabama graduate senior and permanent captain Malachi Moore slammed Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia's head into the turf after the whistle, before exploding on his teammates and then ultimately drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for kicking the ball after it had been spotted. In addition, he refused to come off of the field for fellow safety Bray Hubbard shortly after by waving Hubbard and the coaching staff off.

On Monday, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer announced that the punishment for Moore is being "handled internally" during a press conference.

"What he did, he has gone above and beyond and owning, taking ownership in it," DeBoer said. "This is pretty much immediately after the game to this morning, things that are all prompted by him, but also part of just our conversations. The thing I want to make sure that Bama fans know is that this guy has been rock-solid and has been a critical, critical piece, along with others, of keeping this thing together since January. When a lot of people chose to leave, This guy stood firm. This guy loves Alabama football. He works relentlessly out there every single day on the football field. The passion and frustration, I mean, that's what you saw from him. There are some things he regrets and wishes probably didn't do. But he's owned up to it, and we've handled it internally, and still handling it internally."

DeBoer assured that Moore is a captain for a reason, and that reflects in his mindset and effort since the former Washington head coach arrived to Tuscaloosa in January.

"He's a first-class guy. He's out in the community weekly," DeBoer said. "That's just part of who he is. Doing things to give back, understanding the platform he has. A lot of eyes are on our program. A lot of eyes are eyes are on him. This guy plays hard for himself and his teammates, but this program means so much to him. It doesn't make it right by any means what some of the actions were, but I want people to understand also that he's had my and our back since day one, and there comes a point too where sometimes, as things play out, you got to have your guys back as well and understand that we all make mistakes and we all just got to own up to it. We're doing that and we'll continue to move on."

Prior to DeBoer's comments, Moore released a statement about the outburst via his X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday morning.

"I want to apologize to my teammates, our coaches, the fans, our alumni and my family for the way I acted on Saturday," Moore wrote. "I was completely out of line. I let the emotions of the game get the best of me and put myself before the team. As a two-time captain and a fifth-year player, I understand the standard that we are expected to live up to at Alabama, and I failed to do so by acting in a selfish and unacceptable manner. I came back this season to represent myself, this team and this University because it means something to me. I am blessed to be able to wear the 'A' on my chest, and I know all that comes with the responsibility of representing this program. I will do better to uphold the Alabama standard moving forward, and I will continue to work and improve while conducting myself in a first-class manner."