The University of Alabama at Birmingham football team took the field Saturday afternoon for the final home game of the season despite two players having been stabbed by their teammate earlier that morning at their Football Operations Building.
“We’re grateful to report that two players injured in an incident this morning at the Football Operations Building are in stable condition. Our thoughts are with them and their families as they recover. The suspect – another player – remains in custody, and an investigation is taking place,” a UAB spokesperson told The Daily Wire.
“The team elected to play today’s game. UAB’s top priority remains the safety and well-being of all of our students. Given patient privacy and the ongoing investigation, we have no further comment at this time.”
According to Jefferson County Jail records, Daniel Mincey is in custody with no bond on charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault. According to the jail records, UAB campus police arrested Mincey Saturday just before 1:00 p.m. local time.
UAB hasn’t named Mincey as the player involved in the stabbing, nor has the university said whether Mincey is still on the team as of Sunday morning. Mincey is the only UAB football player listed on the jail roster.
Per the UAB football website, Mincey is listed as a redshirt freshman offensive lineman in his first year with the Blazers football program. The Florida native transferred to UAB after one season at the University of Kentucky.
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UAB Athletic Director Mark Ingram hasn’t addressed the incident that happened at the football facility on Saturday. Instead, UAB’s interim football coach Alex Mortensen spoke to the media after the 48-18 loss to South Florida.
“I’m going to start with a statement,” Mortensen said. “Before we talk about the game, I do want to address what happened this morning. As you’ve heard, we have one player who is in police custody and two players who are in stable condition after sustaining injuries. More than anything, I’m grateful that those two players are in stable condition. And we will make sure that they have the support that they need. I hope you will join me in lifting them and their families in your thoughts and prayers, as our team is doing right now, too. I also ask that you will please respect their privacy as they deal with what happened.”
Mortensen, who took over the program after UAB fired head coach Trent Dilfer, said the team decided to go through with playing the football game because of the seniors on the team.
“We spoke as a team, and we spoke with the team, and those guys really wanted to play today, and the conversation went back to the seniors, with today being senior day, they wanted to go play for them, and give them an opportunity to [come] out and compete and play, so that was probably the biggest thing.”
The two players who were injured haven’t been identified. Mortensen said counseling is being offered to any player who wants it. The Blazers, who sit 3-8 on the year, have one more game this season on November 29 at Tulsa.
