I think some of you are being unfair to alley... he was always regarded as a hard worker, especially in the weight room... he came onto the scene with amazing talent and tore his achilles off the bone, combine the loss of lateral movement with the lost time in the weight room and his skills diminished... it was obvious last year that he just didn't have it like he did before the injury, and with the emergence of keiland williams, richard murphy, jacob hester, and a new offensive coordinator who maybe didn't remember the old alley... can you blame the guy for giving it up? Maybe on a less competitive level, say at ole miss, or miss state he would have gotten plenty of touches, but for all the work that goes into being a tiger, it has to be a let down to know you were once the star runner, and now you'll be a third down blocking back and goal line back. I've heard he browses this site every now and again so let me take the opportunity to show my appreciation for alley. THANKS ALLEY! you'll be sorely missed... just know that I cheered harder for you than any other tiger in tiger stadium and I wish you luck with whatever else you pursue, whether it be professional, music, coaching, or anything else...
While I hate to see him walk away from the team, I admire and respect his decision to finish out his education. To me that shows he's not the "head-case" many have labeled him as... I was rather looking forward to seeing him steam-roll some folks this year though. Good luck, AB!
Hey no problem just wanted to say i dont think it had any thing to do with him leaving the team. But, you never know. I thought he had deleted them to concentrate on the team, cause he also had his music page as well and deleted that. But, I was wrong about that I guess. I do wish him good luck in the future, since he was my favorite back and he is a beast on that NCAA 08. Who knows he might be like Mike Williams from USC and sit out a year then make the NFL. If Clarrett can get drafted with all his problems why can't Alley if thats what he wants.
If Broussard's knee never really came back, as seems likely, then he made the right move. He'll never play in the NFL with a serious injury like that. But he can graduate and move on with another career. He was passed on the depth chart, would not have played often and would have risked a crippling reinjury. Best move for AB was to move on. If your heart ain't in it anymore, you go where your heart tells you.
My heart is in winning the lottery but it hasn't worked out so far. Maybe I should at least buy a ticket one day?:lol: I will miss him. Seemed like a great guy and despite all the turmoil he went through, he never went off the reservation like some kids do. Wish he had better luck with his career, but it sounds like he knows what he wants. Best of luck AB!
First of all, I also want to thank Alley for his time as a Tiger. I'll always remember him--for instance, that safety when he tackled Gordon Ely-Kelso in the SECCG in '03. But about his injury and the questions about his "heart." In the winter of '86, I torn my ACL away from the bone in a cheerleading stunt gone bad. I had surgery, ignored my surgeon's advice, and returned to cheerleading in 6 months. In the fall of '86, I had a different injury in which my ACL was ripped in half and all of my cartilage was torn. The second injury left me almost crippled. Basically, I could walk, but sports were out of the question for me for there on out. Cheerleading had been my life at that time, and it did play games with my head for 3 or 4 years. I finally had to come to terms with my new reality. I did, and took up golf in my 20's just to say I could play a sport. Over the years, my knee continued to give me serious trouble. I even had surgery last summer to try to alleviate the pain and to be able to seriously exercise (walking had become almost too painful). Now, I'm active again, but that injury remains a watershed period in my life. I'm sure it's the same with Alley. He suffered a similar ACL injury, then suffered an infection. I met a man in physical therapy last summer whose knee became infected following knee surgery. I thought he'd been seriously burned--that's what his scars looked like; he could barely make a revolution on a stationary bike. We're talking Alley going through much more than a routine knee surgery and recovery. I'm happy Alley is making the good decision to stay in school. And maybe he'll look back 20 years from now and be sorry, or maybe he'll know he did the right thing and be 20 years into a successful career.
I agree about an injury lending perspective in life. Looking back on my old journals that I've kept since high school, I was a lot more shallow before my injury. It changed me--I think for the better. I had to develop other interests and passions. Now, 21 years, a 15-year teaching career, husband, and two daughters later, I completely happy with where life has lead me. I think Alley will be able to say the same.
