Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban is in a tough spot with the announcement that four of his players have been alleged to have been involved in criminal activity.
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Two years, 20 years in jail … that’s what four Alabama Crimson Tide players who have been charged with second degree robbery charges are facing today after being arrested for allegedly committing the offense that also includes a charge of fraudulent use of a credit card.

Alabama coach Nick Saban, who has built the Crimson Tide into the best program in the nation, now has some decisions to make about the four sophomores who had seen playing time in 2012.

One thing is for certain – incidents like this (and yes, we have to presume innocence in all cases) don’t sit well in the court of public opinion, which tends to lump all athletes into the “criminal element” lifestyle when they hear of these things.

Our hope here at Lombardiave is that Saban and the university allow the system to work and should the players be convicted, that they act swiftly and decisively in handling the situation – but we’ve got to let the system do its job.