Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton has been accused of assaulting at least two rival Tennessee fans, including one woman, who rushed the field following Tennessee's 52-49 win over the Crimson Tide on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. A TikTok video shows Burton pushing his right arm toward the woman's head as she celebrated the Volunteers' unexpected victory.
Although none of the women have lodged any official complaint in order to avoid controversy, they have confirmed being hit by Burton as they stormed the field en masse this weekend. Alabama, however, has launched an investigation and waiting for more information on the incident before arriving at a conclusion.
Not Like a Sportsman
At least two Tik Tok videos appear to show Burton yelling as he storms off to the locker room after his team lost 52-49 to Tennessee on Saturday. In a video that was uploaded to TikTok, Burton can be seen shoving the woman in front of him with his right arm as she celebrates the Volunteers' surprising victory.
The woman then stops abruptly, turns around in apparent horror as Burton passes, and holds her hands to her head.
The clip was shared by Tennesee fan Emily Isaacs along with the caption: "Jermaine Burton smacking me in the head while walking past him after their loss Saturday."
Isaacs later also confirmed to Fox affiliate sports website OutKick that she was the woman in the video but she preferred not to go further as she doesn't want to invite controversy.
Another video of a Tennesse fan yelling "Oh my God!" repeatedly was uploaded by another user, as the field could be seen swarmed by fans in orange shirts and Burton appears to strike out with his right hand once more.
"Jermaine Burton was so mad he had to hit me after the loss," the fan, using the name JoJo, wrote.
"I was told he smacked a girl in the head after too," he said.
Tennesee fan site The Volunteer complained that Burton made "purposeful contact to the head of a female Tennessee fan."
Complete Chaos
Tennessee's victory over Alabama was its first against the Crimson Tide under Saban's coaching since 2006, which led to wild celebrations in Knoxville. Within minutes of the crowd's invasion of the pitch, the goalposts had been destroyed. Burton didn't like this and went on to hit two of the fans.
However, Alabama has launched an investigation. "We are aware of the situation with Jermaine Burton as he was exiting the field Saturday," Alabama coach Nick Saban said in a statement Wednesday. "We are currently working to gather more information."
The SEC imposed a $100,000 fine on Tennessee for violating the league's field access rules twice. A $250,000 fine would be assessed for a third infraction.
"This is why we have these rules," an SEC official told ESPN on Wednesday. "It was a great scene, but it's also a recipe for disaster when you have emotional players walking off the field and fans running around by them and celebrating."
Alabama has become accustomed to seeing rival supporters flood the field after road losses. In fact, a 24-21 loss at LSU 12 years ago was the last time an Alabama road setback didn't result in fans flooding the field.
Fans flooded the field after Alabama's 41-38 loss to Texas A&M at Kyle Field a year ago, and as Saban's police escorts attempted to remove him, a female fan stepped in the way and was struck by one of the policemen, who then knocked her to the ground. Saban almost fell immediately after that.
One of the Alabama state troopers attempted to stop a fan from approaching Saban following Ole Miss' 23-17 victory over Alabama in 2014 by choke-slamming him.
