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Gene Jelks Interview

As a younger fan who grew up watching Bama in the 90's I wasn't privvy to this particular incident until just now. I'm sure my folks spoke about it but not around me.

So I just read 3 full articles/interviews about the incident. My thoughts are that he obviously made a mistake and is still an ego-centric personality with a victim mentality....HOWEVER!....there has been recognition of that fact and earnest work to overcome it. He has suffered a lot. Whether his punishment was self-punitive or a confluence of circumstances laid on him by others as a result of his actions, I think he's paid enough of a price. Self-flagellation can often be the most brutal. Sounds like he still has a lot to work to do and maybe some folks still have malice for him but after reading the numerous accounts of the events and his life post-NFL, all I can feel is pity.
 
Don't care and never will. He did it and he "doesn't need to come around here no more." It's funny how success will bring out the trash (and the fair weather fans), who all of the sudden want to be a part of the family again. Gene, you need to stay over at the barn and live with that "fambly".
 
I'm conflicted.....especially as I'm now in my Mid-40s.....I do believe he personally caused me to not enjoy my team and College Football (as much as I could have) for about 15 years.....

Now.....with that said.....there are many posters on this board who always play the, "well didn't you do stupid stuff when you were young?" card....and even though he was not a kid.....he was still a 20-something....who had lost his dreams, and made some really bad decisions.

I personally wish he would just move on.....and realize that his damage cannot be undone. But, I'm no longer angry....

time heals....but, I wouldn't want to hang out with my ex-wife, and I don't want to hang out with Gene Jelks.
 
I'm at work so I will have to watch this later and my reply is based on what I assume he said. If he has confessed his sins and asked for forgiveness then we should forgive him. Period. I would welcome him back to the family with open arms.
 
I am glad he confessed and I forgive him. But I personally dont have a hour of my life to listen to his confessions. The damage is done and will never be forgotten.
 
derek4tide;2 748059 said:
Don't care and never will. He did it and he "doesn't need to come around here no more." It's funny how success will bring out the trash (and the fair weather fans), who all of the sudden want to be a part of the family again. Gene, you need to stay over at the barn and live with that "fambly".
Click to expand...

Living in Gadsden, I watched Gene from ESHS thru his stay at Alabama. I was a fan... No more.

GENE RANG A BELL THAT CAN'T BE UN-RANG...
GENE SOLD OUT TO AUBURN.
GENE GOT HIS 30 PIECES OF SILVER FOR BETRAYING ALABAMA. (That's on him)

My memory is too long and the wounds too deep to think about making nice to him, or to consider him being re-admitted into Alabama Football's good graces. People tell me he has changed, but I'm not sure I buy that story.
Those of us from Gadsden who knew him aren't in a forgiving mood.
A 'SELLOUT IS A SELLOUT'. Hard to tell where the lies end and his version of truth begins.
 
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Too bad it all happened. I don't have time to watch the interview right now, but I will say the coaches didn't do Jelks any favors by making him a defensive back. That should have never happened. He was an absolutely GREAT running back. But there are no excuses for betraying your Alma Mater, and making the deal to boot with your arch-rival. That's just the worst.
 
Personally..I'll never forgive Jelks for what he did to the University, he was a great RB no doubt, when he blew his knee out Bobby Humphrey took his spot & wasn't given it back to him when Jelks returned..Coach Curry moved him to DB & I will always think that was the right move, that gave Jelks his best chance to make it in the NFL despite enduring a devastating knee injury..

In the 80's if you suffered the kinda knee injury Jelks had, it was a death sentence football wise & from a medical standpoint, Players just didn't come back from that injury back then like Players do now days..Jelks wasn't the same player when he came back, Curry did the right thing moving him to the D side of the ball, Jelks got drafted in the NFL & that's all you could ask for coming back from a knee injury..

Jelks can blame Curry all he wants, but, until he realizes the root of his problems was ultimately him & him alone he will have that bitterness for the wrong reasons..Alabama & Coach Curry did their part that gave Jelks his best chance in the NFL..He burned his bridges to T-Town the moment he took money from those auburn folks hell bent on bringing Bama down & Jelks helped them do exactly that..Bama Fans that forgive Jelks I can respect that, but, I can't forgive him & never will because when he became a "Benedict Auburn" he divorced himself from The Crimson Tide Family permanently..
 
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In life we all make decisions. GJ made his and now he must live it with it. I will never forgive or forget what he did to our university.
 
I would say to Gene only this: you were free to choose to do what you wanted to do, but what you weren't free from was the consequences of that choice.
 
I listened to the interview. I'm not exactly sure what I was hoping to hear, but I didn't hear anything that changed my mind about the past. Probably most disturbing, I didn't hear a man that's at peace with his past, even though he says he is and I thought that was the premise of the interview. It was strange to me......
 
O.K. This is not personal. I have never met Mr. Jelks. He owes me no apology. However, there are those he owes apologies to. Personally, I don't care what he does or where he goes.
 
Guess you can add me to the list of those not interested enough to spend nearly an hour listening to the interview. I remember the incident and its repercussions all to well and while I don't hate Jelks, I also don't care enough about him to waste that much time listening to the what he has to say. It's a good thing I guess that he has been forgiven by the players and at least some of the fans, but the prospect of reviewing the events of that time just doesn't generate that much interest on my part. No matter what he may chose to say, it will change none of the events that occurred. Frankly, I just wish he would forget about it and move on with whats left of his life.
 
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