Saban says Deaderick will be a game-time decision

September 05, 2009

By Ken Rogers

The Georgia Dome’s gates will open to the public in 30 minutes, but the press box is filling nicely.

If you got up to catch ESPN’s Game Day show, you saw Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban at the team hotel.

Asked about Brandon Deaderick, who has been medically cleared to play, Saban said the 6-4, 300-pound senior defensive end would be a game-time decision.

That’s incredible, considering the man was shot five days ago.

Saban said he hadn’t had much experience dealing with bullet wounds, but he’s learned a lot this week. Apparently, if nothing major was damaged and just soft tissue was affected, as was the case with the fortunate Deaderick, it’s more or less a puncture wound.

Saban said Deaderick wants to play—“And it’s hard to guy a kid who has done nothing wrong and has been medically cleared that he can’t,“ the coach said.

However, Saban said he still wanted to see how things went in pregame.