TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - It was a slow Monday morning in the University Mall. There were almost as many walkers doing laps as shoppers.
Fellow al.com reporter Izzy Gould and I weren't there to shop. We wanted to meet the man who's rapidly becoming one of the most talked-about Alabama football fans in the state.
We found Tom Albetar outside T-Town Menswear, the high-end clothing store he owns.
I introduced myself, shook his hand and before I could ask a question, Albetar said, "I can't talk to you."
I introduced Gould and explained that, with so many people discussing Albetar's relationship with current and former Alabama football players, we wanted to give him a chance to tell his side of the story.
"No comment," Albetar said, and he walked away into the Belk store at that end of the mall.
That was the end of the conversation, if you can call it that, but this story seems a long way from a conclusion.
Albetar owns an extraordinary collection of signed memorabilia from Alabama football players and coaches. His store resembles a branch of the Bryant Museum.
Albetar also has an extensive collection of photos of himself with Alabama players and coaches - taken from his store's Facebook page and his own MySpace page - and some of those photos show Alabama players signing Alabama memorabilia.
In a TV ad for the store available on YouTube, former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy says of Albetar, while standing next to him, "He's the best. He's the best Alabama fan. He's the best fashion store in town. That's why I love him."
There's nothing wrong with being a well-connected fan, but with Ohio State headed toward NCAA probation because, in part, some of its football players traded signed memorabilia for tattoos, questions have to be asked.
Why did so many Alabama players, from Tyrone Prothro to Terrence Cody, sign so much stuff, from jerseys to helmets to gloves to photos, for Albetar?
Did they receive anything in return while they were still playing college football?
Did they sign the gear for him knowing that he would display it in the store as a form of promotion to attract customers or that he might sell it?
There are potential NCAA violations in those answers, which explains why Alabama compliance director Mike Ward sent T-Town Menswear a cease-and-desist letter dated Dec. 22, 2010.
The school informed al.com of the letter Friday and provided us a copy of it Sunday. It appears to be a form letter because the salutation says, "To Whom It May Concern" and the letter itself doesn't include the name of the owner, the business or any specific Alabama player.
The letter accuses Albetar of "selling or distributing, for commercial purposes," signed memorabilia from current players. The letter tells him that his actions could jeopardize the eligibility of those players and asks him to stop.
On that point, there's an interesting sticker on the glass storefront. It reads, "Bama Memorabilia. DISPLAY ONLY. NOT FOR SALE."
An Alabama source said Friday that the school did not believe the eligibility of any current player was in jeopardy and that the school did not forward information about the situation to the SEC or NCAA. That seems an awfully confident stance given the current enforcement climate.
Georgia Tech turned a relatively minor eligibility issue into a major infractions case - and lost its 2009 ACC title - because the NCAA said the school didn't fully cooperate. Despite major violations, LSU avoided major sanctions because the NCAA praised the proactive nature of the school's own investigation.
Wouldn't it be prudent of Alabama to turn over its self-report to the SEC and the NCAA just to be on the safe side?
On Monday, a scan of T-Town Menswear's display window and a trip through the store found only one item from a current player. High on a wall inside the store, there was a large signed and framed No. 3 Trent Richardson jersey with the 2010 BCS Championship Game patch on the left sleeve.
The wall also features similar signed and framed jerseys, with the same BCS patch, from former players Julio Jones and Mark Ingram.
There are separate photos on the Internet of Albetar with Richardson, Jones and Ingram.
There's one photo in the store window of Albetar and Jones posing with a frame that includes a drawing of Jones and a pair of Nike gloves with a Jones signature on each.
There's another photo in the store window of Albetar and Ingram posing with a frame that includes a drawing of Ingram and a pair of gloves with no visible autograph but with Ingram's No. 22 written on one wristband and the 2010 BCS Championship Game logo on the other.
Both frames containing the Jones and Ingram items also are in the store window.
All the gear in the store and all the photos on the Internet depicting a close relationship between Albetar and Alabama players are at least suggestive, if not suspicious, but they're not conclusive. It may be up to the NCAA at some point to decide what it all means.
On Monday, the T-Town Menswear Facebook page, the source of many of the photos of Albetar and the players, no longer existed. A Twitter message from @ttownmenswear said, "T-Town Menswear is in the process of setting up a new web site, blog and more! Stay tuned for more info!"
Good advice.
Bama may be the next to get fucked.
Nothing to see here.
The fist comment is great.
yes keep em coming
I hope they get the same treatment that OSU got. I want to see them get the inquiries and all that. Then I want to see them go back to Saban's days in Baton Rouge and start their digging there. If not, then I'll be on the bandwagon that said OSU was the victim of a witch hunt.
Another "who cares?" from me. The only program besides Ohio State that I truly believe deserves a punishment is Auburn. But like I've said, the team I root for is a winner, and I don't have to bring other teams down to get to the top(aka Michigan, ND, Florida, etc..)
After living in the south for a year... Osu fans, we are obnoxious and arrogant. Sec fans, are wacko's!! Not a doubt in my mind that one of them would put a bullet in someone.
Have some family and friends in Bama they havent said a word. Must not be much.
Hawt..... but notice the the signed Richardson jersey(insert the you know how I know you're gay joke)
