Kane Wommack’s defensive staff at Alabama has found a pretty good Sunday-night perk this season: dinner on the coordinator.
The Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator said Monday that the group has turned a simple postgame tradition into a running joke, with the staff looking for reasons to cash in after strong defensive outings.
“We started off like when we get a defensive touchdown or or a a shutout, you know, we, I take care of the coaching staff on Sunday night, and so I am certainly one of Chuck’s Fish’s best customers at this point,” Wommack said. “You know the running joke now amongst the staff is they find some creative way on top of anything else to give a reason of why they get Chuck’s that week, and usually I give in. But it’s great.”
Chuck’s Fish is a familiar Tuscaloosa spot, and Wommack’s comments made clear the staff has been making good use of it. The restaurant also has locations in Alabama, Athens, Georgia and Tallahassee, Florida, and serves everything from seafood and steaks to sushi.
The latest excuse for a team meal came after Dijon Lee’s pick-six against Mississippi State on Saturday. The Alabama cornerback intercepted Kamario Taylor and returned it for a touchdown, giving Wommack another reason to pick up the bill.
That kind of payoff has not gone unnoticed inside the program. After Alabama’s win over South Carolina, safety Bray Hubbard joked about the arrangement.
“The pick six, I feel bad for coach Wommack,” Hubbard said. “He has to pay for the D-staff and all their meals on Sunday, so I feel bad for him.”
Wommack, though, sounded more than willing to keep the tradition rolling.
“We have a great staff, awesome group of guys that they work their tail off and they make a sacrifice, and so to have something fun outside the building that we can do is really good,” Womack said. “But makes it a whole lot easier.
You know they always thank me. I always say, you know, ‘Thank the guy that got the defensive touchdown.’
So this week it was Dijon.”
Alabama is back on the field Saturday against Georgia. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Bryant-Denny Stadium, with the game airing on ABC.
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