Alabama defensive back Maurice Smith stated in a letter to the school's appeal committee in July that he felt "ostracized" after informing the program he planned to seek a graduate transfer.
Seth Emerson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution received a copy of the letter from the defender's mother, Samyra Smith, on Wednesday. Smith stated he told head coach Nick Saban about his plans June 16 and was told he couldn't go to another SEC school. The letter explained what he witnessed when he arrived to the facilities the next day:
On Friday, June 17, I arrived at the athletic facility locker room to find my locker cleaned out and all of my personal belongings in the trash (photo attached) underneath trash.