Jackson’s E.J. Crowell takes suspension in stride but warns, ‘Y’all done woke up a monster’

 

 

By JIMMY WIGFIELD

JACKSON — E.J. Crowell went from hitting people in the mouth to squirting water in them Thursday and didn’t even seem angry about it.

Jackson’s five-star running back, who is known for his complete repertoire of skills and a penchant for turning defenders into jelly, was suspended for Friday night’s showdown with Saraland at Legion Field for violating the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s amateurism rule. But the preseason All-American and Alabama commitment, while calmly accepting the decision, warned the rest of the Aggies’ opponents what to expect from him as Jackson pursues a second straight Class 4A state championship.

“Starting this weekend, y’all done woke up a monster,” Crowell said before Thursday’s practice. “I’ll be good for the rest of the season. I’m not really mad about it. I can’t do nothing about it. I can’t make the decisions. We know what’s right and what’s wrong. I’m glad that they just let me play for the rest of my senior year. As long as I’m just missing one game, I’m good with that. But it just adds fuel to the fire.

“My family is upset but I told them today there’s no need to be upset. We’ve just got a lot of stuff to prove for these next few weeks until December gets here. We want to get to game 15. We’re going game by game. Hopefully, we’ll be back-to-back champs.”

Jackson High School said in an official statement Thursday that it disputes the AHSAA’s ruling and was forced to accept either a season-long suspension for the nation’s No. 3-rated running back or a one-game suspension if the school self-reported the violation.

The school said a family friend and godfather of Crowell’s who lives out of town loaned him a luxury vehicle for 20 days earlier this summer. Crowell was pictured with the car on social media but it was never identified as his and it has since been returned.

Crowell and his mother, Traketa Roberts, said he did not accept an improper gift, as was charged by the AHSAA.

“We at Jackson High School believe there has been no rule violation,” the school said. “However, when presented with a choice of a one-game suspension versus the possibility of many more games or even a full season, we made the decision that the only choice was obvious. Therefore, E.J. Crowell will not play against Saraland.”

Crowell did not participate in Thursday’s walkthrough at the school but spent time serving his teammates chilled water during the warm afternoon and said the Aggies will prove they can win without him, particularly since quarterback Landon Duckworth and receivers Keeyun “Red” Chapman and Jamarrion “Juicy” Gordon — all of whom have committed to Power 4 programs — are among the nation’s top skill players.

However, the last-minute suspension left Jackson coach Cody Flournoy and offensive coordinator Chris Moore scrambling to adjust their gameplan.

“Everybody’s saying it’s a one-man show but it’s actually not,” Crowell said. “We’ve got the defense, we’ve got Landon, Red, Juicy and other playmakers on the team. Tomorrow night, when everybody just pops off, I’ll say, ‘I told you so.’ I’m a good player but without my O-line, my receivers, quarterback, I wouldn’t even be who I am today or without coach Flo or coach Moore.”

Junior Josh Bryant will start for Crowell, who in two varsity seasons has rushed for 3,701 yards, 56 touchdowns and averaged 11 yards per carry, often not playing full games.

“Joshua is a great kid,” Crowell said. “He’s going to step up and then y’all are going to remember him.”

Flournoy said there is no hope of an appeal but said his players have rallied around Crowell and each other.

“I don’t know if it’s been a distraction,” he said. “On one side it’s a motivator and then on the other it kind of puts us in a little bit of a tailspin because a lot of our offense goes around and through him. That’s a five-star Bama commit, so when you lose him, it really hurts us offensively. Now, look, we’ve got weapons and we feel good about our group that we’re sending out there and we’re not making any excuses. We’re going to play this game tomorrow night and we all support E.J. and he’s supporting us. Landon’s been there a lot. Red, Juicy, these guys, these are weapons for us. We’re still going out there with the intent to win the game.”

Flournoy applauded the response of Crowell and his teammates.

“They’re good,” he said. “They’re teenagers. They’re ready to play this game. I think it strengthened our resolve. It brought us together. If you don’t know this guy, don’t say anything negative about him because you don’t know about the above-his-time-type response from him, where it was ultra-mature and you can see it. He’s taking it in stride.”

Flournoy said the school doesn’t agree with the AHSAA’s ruling but is moving forward.

“We abide by the rules set forth by the state,” he said, “and when they came down with the ruling, we did our part. We’re never happy about losing a kid the caliber of E.J. No coach would be but we’re gonna take our lumps and move on and we shouldn’t have any more effects from this the rest of the season.”

Current AHSAA rules forbid student-athletes from being compensated for the use of their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) or accepting gifts, contrary to amateurism rules.

Alabama is one of a few states nationwide that does not have specific NIL legislation for high school athletes.

Crowell, who reclassified so he can graduate early, ran for 206 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-27 loss to Saraland last season.