Alabama OC apologizes for referencing Crimson Tide 'boobirds' as Alabama trailed FSU in first half of Week 3 win

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Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb issued a statement Monday night apologizing for his comments about booing Crimson Tide fans in his news conference earlier in the day.

When meeting with the media on Monday morning, Grubb complimented the perseverance of his offense in Alabama's 50-36 win. The Crimson Tide found themselves trailing by 15 points in the first half of that win.

"They just didn't have any quit, they're really resilient, the group. I'm super proud of that," Grubb said. "We had, I would say, had some boobirds. I told the guys, shoot, if you'd have quit as fast as some of your fans, s***, we wouldn't have won that game.

"So I was proud of them. For a bunch of 19-year-olds to go out there and just — 21-6, and not flinch, I was fired up."

It was a relatively innocuous statement, especially when you watch the context of how Grubb said it on video. But he had to clarify it later in the evening on social media through Alabama's NIL collective and apologize for what he said.

"My passion for the University of Alabama football team runs deep … my commitment to this program is rivaled only by my brothers who I lock arms with every day," the statement said. "I will always back my players … always. I normally speak very directly and don't cut words. That said — I should have worded my statement today more carefully. This is a special place with an incredible fanbase that all of us are thankful for. I have been spoiled by our great fans who are a sense of inspiration for our players. I let my loyalty and passion for my players affect my choice of words and offend some people that I certainly would have never intended to — the Crimson Tide faithful — and for that I apologize. I look forward to moving on and giving everyone something to cheer about! It's a blessing to be here at Alabama. I truly appreciate everyone and am looking forward to a great Saturday. Again, my sincere apologies .. and ROLL TIDE!!!"

After FSU jumped out to that 21-6 lead, Alabama scored 20 straight points to end the half. It was the second consecutive sluggish start for the Alabama offense, though the Tide has put up at least 45 points in each of the last two games. QB Keelon Russell was 23-of-30 passing for 320 yards and three scores and rushed for a 57-yard TD in the win, while the team rushed 36 times for 247 yards.

In 2025, Alabama averaged just 104 yards rushing a game. This season, the Tide is averaging over double that number so far.

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