Aaron Douglas' death still pains parents, Alabama

[85Destiny]

Interesting how Alabama is wearing his number on uniform when he never played for them.
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This bothers me.

 

[DrunkJohnny]

Phil Failure knew he was a heavy pot user while in highschool. I would assume he also knew about some prescription abuse as well.
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Yea, so did his parents.

Maybe they should have tried rehab instead of shipping him off to an AZ JC... That would have messed up his football career though.

 

[Los-Osis]

It's tragic, but I wish the parents would stop taking digs at UT. Their son had a drug problem and a high-risk lifestyle. UT didn't cause it, and he continued to make bad choices years after he left. If he had OD'd a year later, would it have been Bama's fault? I hate that the kid died, but misdirecting blame is unnecessary and unfair.

I think if itt helps the family deal with the loss of their son, let them take all the shots a who ever. The Loss of a child is far more important than any comittment to any school. jmho

 

[ridethelightening]

I spent a lot of time re-writing this to be as respectful as possible to all the parties here, most of whom I know very well.

The biggest issue that AD had was that he was allowed to use, both recreational and prescription for years unchecked.

I love his parents, they are both amazing people, but they refused to believe he was using in high school, even when those that personally witnessed his use expressed concerns to them.

The first time they recognized that he was using was when he failed tests for recreational drugs at UT during his freshman year while he was redshirting and rehabbing from his shoulder operations. They wouldn't have been notified abut it, per UT's policy, but members of the coaching staff they were close with made them aware. This is where their belief that he did not start using until college came from.

He attended counseling, per UT's policy, and somehow did not fail a test under Kiffin. He never tested positive for painkillers for the same reason Ainge never did, he had a prescription for them and the standard tests are only done for presence, not amount. His use escalated during the fall of 2009 to the point he started losing weight during the late part of the season. A member of Kiffin's staff told me later that he estimated AD was around 200 for the Chick-fi-la Bowl.

I do and always will have a great deal of respect for the way Dooley handled the situation. He saw some of the problems and wanted to help. Instead, it became an ugly public spectacle. Dooley hoped that by sending him far from his comfort zone, he would have a better chance of kicking his addiction. From all reports, he was clean in Arizona. Alabama vetted him HEAVILY before offering him. Saban spoke to several people from UT that had been involved in his coaching before taking him.

Ultimately, the draw of addiction haunted him until the day he died. I don't know if he used once he got to Alabama, but find it hard to believe he suddenly relapsed on vacation and ended up dead.

People look for someone to blame, but I don't think there is blame to be had in this case. A lot of people tried to help him, a lot of people failed. Might have helped if the issues were addressed earlier in his life, maybe not. No one will ever know, but it's senseless to try and assign blame to anyone.

May he rest in peace and both teams play in his honor Saturday.

I know for a fact he was using heavily the weeks/months prior to his death. The people that saw him in Maryville were amazed at his usage while at parties.

The DUI should have been a huge tipping point, but instead people continued to enable him.
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[rockytop9808]

I think if itt helps the family deal with the loss of their son, let them take all the shots a who ever. The Loss of a child is far more important than any comittment to any school. jmho

Or they could quit embarrassing themselves because if blame's going to fall on anybody that's not the person who is really at fault (AD), it should fall on them for being crappy parents and not trying to help their son.

 

[DrunkJohnny]

Or they could quit embarrassing themselves because if blame's going to fall on anybody that's not the person who is really at fault (AD), it should fall on them for being crappy parents and not trying to help their son.

Not to mention, hopefully they realize blaming other people is what got them here.

 

[Los-Osis]

Or they could quit embarrassing themselves because if blame's going to fall on anybody that's not the person who is really at fault (AD), it should fall on them for being crappy parents and not trying to help their son.

Thats quite a statement. Do you know for a fact that they were crappy parents???.....Why is it necessary to blame anyone, just try to understand they are in pain and will remain so. Can's understand this type of reasoning...unless you are without fault yourself.

 

[WinginFlorida]

I think if itt helps the family deal with the loss of their son, let them take all the shots a who ever. The Loss of a child is far more important than any comittment to any school. jmho

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you. If the parents are "allowed" to take shots at others to help them deal with their grief, that is nothing more than living in denial or a form of enabling. I have all the sympathy in the world for them as a result of this loss, but it sounds like they need to look introspectively about this entire issue instead of searching for someone outside the family to blame.

 

[jguy2]

I think if itt helps the family deal with the loss of their son, let them take all the shots a who ever. The Loss of a child is far more important than any comittment to any school. jmho

That's not a way for a family to heal. As someone who has been through this, you can't blame other people.

In 2004, I lost my brother, and my parents lost their oldest son. We didn't blame anyone for the loss of someone so close to us, we stuck together and we got through it. I still think about him all the time, and I'm sure my parents think about him even more than I do, but your life can't be put on hold because of it. They'll never be able to let go of this tragedy if they don't see that there is no one to blame for it.

 

[rich4pres]

The trash that Kiffin recruited while Douglas was here certainly didn't help out. Ultimately it is his individual failing and not UT's or Kiffin's, but it didn't help at all that the Fulmer Cup and the Pilot incident were recent or concurrent events during his time around and in the program. If the family has bad blood with the university then that is for them to deal with. No one else knows everything that they know. It could also be an important part of their grieving process.
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The Fulmer Cup isn't an actual award. It was started by bloggers that were Florida Gator fans. Hence the name Fulmer Cup. Tennessee is rarely even in contention for the faux award. I will give you the Pilot incident, but not the Fulmer Cup.

 

[LA Vol]

I think if itt helps the family deal with the loss of their son, let them take all the shots a who ever. The Loss of a child is far more important than any comittment to any school. jmho

I disagree. The family has my deepest sympathy, but their loss doesn't give them the right to wrongfully assign blame as a coping strategy. UT should not be the scapegoat for a problem that started before AD got here and continued long after he left. Many people are at fault-- most of all, AD himself-- so why not mourn the loss without pointing the finger? That would be a much more positive way of remembering him.