While it had mostly died down by the time of the draft, Brandon Miller's one-and-done college career was marred by controversy. The Alabama freshman was at least tangentially involved with the shooting of a young woman in Tuscaloosa earlier this year. While the extent of his involvement was debated, he was considered a material witness. Furthermore, he had allegedly brought the killer's gun to him when asked. Controversially, Miller missed almost no time as head coach Nate Oats firmly stood behind his star player.
Jump forward to the draft and ESPN's Malika Andrews got a lot of heat for bringing up Miller's link to the case on draft night. Andrews didn't say anything especially heinous. Namely, she asked how his link to the case, which remains open, could affect how teams view the player. “How does this factor in, if at all, into how teams are evaluating him?” Andrews asked on the network's broadcast. Now one of her ESPN colleagues has stepped up to defend (yes, two months after the draft).
Stephen A. Smith Defends Malika Andrews
“She’s getting crucified during the Draft because... Brandon Miller…bringing up somebody's past. She had an obligation to ask those questions. She did her job. If she doesn't do her job, she's off the air.” Stephen A. Smith said in a recent podcast appearance. Smith is totally right. As much as you might want journalists to "stick to sports", you aren't doing your job as a reporter if you aren't addressing the whole situation. This isn't something that happened five, ten years ago. This is an open murder investigation into something that happened this year. Additionally, it doesn't matter how tangential Miller's link is to the case - he is linked to the case and that's what matters.
It's very weird how quick sports fans will forgive and forget. People on social media calling Andrews a bitch and a roach, saying that she's ruining "Miller's special night". She was literally doing her job. “How does this factor in, if at all, into how teams are evaluating him?” is a great way to ask this question. Why? Because it includes a clause to allow someone to literally respond, "I think there will be minimal impact on his evaluation." Furthermore, Miller still went #2 overall in the draft. Clearly, this was a non-issue for teams. It just seems that people are mad that Andrews dared remind us of the very real external issues to this fake sports world.
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