TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama has dismissed four freshmen charged with either second-degree robbery or credit card fraud.
Defensive back Eddie Williams, 20, and linebackers Tyler Hayes and D.J. Pettway, both 18, were shown the door after being charged with second-degree robbery for their involvement in the separate robberies of two students on the Tuscaloosa campus on Feb. 11. They were subsequently barred from campus while awaiting a ruling from the Student Judicial Board.
Redshirt freshman H-back Brent Calloway was also dismissed after being charged with use of a stolen credit card taken from one of the students allegedly robbed by his teammates. It was the second run-in with the law for the Alabama native. He was charged with second-degree possession of marijuana as a true freshman in 2011.
"UA's judicial review has been completed," Deborah M. Lane, Alabama associate vice president for university relations, said Wednesday. "The four students involved in the robberies on campus are no longer enrolled in UA."
"Based on all the information we've received and going through and trying to determine the future of the four guys that got in trouble, those guys are no longer associated with the football program," Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said on Wednesday. "Their actions do not reflect the spirit and character that we want our organization to reflect. It's obviously very disappointing and unacceptable what happened."
Williams, a former five-star athlete from Florida, confessed to robbing a student who was punched in the head and face and kicked in the ribs and back. Williams said Pettway and Hayes watched him commit another robbery, according to court records. Calloway admitted to using the stolen credit card for snacks from a vending machine.
Saban would not characterize the dismissal of the players in absolute terms, saying only, "They're not associated with the football program, that's the way I'd put it."
Said Saban: "Some people learn by words. Some people can learn by consequences. Some people can't learn."
All four players were backups during Alabama's run to a second straight national championship this past season. Pettway, who recorded 2.5 sacks and four tackles for loss as a defensive end, was named to the All-SEC freshman team. Hayes had 14 tackles as a freshman, primarily on special teams, including two in the BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame. Calloway carried the ball just 10 times and Williams was not used at all as the staff opted to redshirt him.