Ron Steele disputes that injury caused his departure

January 21, 2009

By Ken Rogers

On this, they agree: that after four and a half seasons and three knee surgeries, Ronald Steele’s Alabama career is over.

But there is little else in the way of unanimity. A day after head coach Mark Gottfried issued a statement clearly implying that Steele stopped his senior season for medical reasons, primarily a bout with plantar fasciitis, Steele directly contradicted that on Wednesday.

In a statement first issued on Tidesports.com and picked up by wire services, Steele said:

“First, I want to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to play at the University of Alabama and play with all my teammates who I still love very much. The fan support has been great. In fact, all the support I have received has been great. I am thankful for the friendships I have made.

“As it stands now, with my physical condition, I have plantar fasciitis, which is a small but painful condition many players have. It is definitely not the reason I am leaving the team. After many hours of praying and consulting with my family, teammates and close friends, I have decided it is in my best interests to move on.

“I love the University of Alabama. This is not a reflection on the University as a whole. I wish them the best of luck in the future and I will continue to support my teammates wholeheartedly. I hope my brother (Andrew) will feel the same love for the University that I have developed.

“I want to thank all the people who have supported me, particularly the media that gave me and my family so much positive recognition.“

He added that he intends to play basketball again.

Mark Gottfried was asked about Steele’s statement after Wednesday night’s 76-73 victory over Ole Miss.

“No. I love Ron Steele. For us, we’ve got to get moving forward,“ Gottfried said.

Asked about Andrew Steele’s attitude and if this was a distraction, Gottfried shook his head and said, “Andrew’s been fine. He’s been good.“

Ronald Steele leaves the Crimson Tide as one of only two players in UA history with 1,000 and points and 400 assists in career as he scored 1,113 points and recorded 453 assists, the fourth most in school history. He received his degree in financial planning from UA in December of 2007.