Alabama’s Jermaine Burton addresses controversial incident with Tennessee fan: ‘It was a mistake’

Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton ended the season on a high note as the Crimson Tide powered through Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday night 45-20.

Burton led the Crimson Tide with three catches for 87 yards and was one of the five receivers who caught a touchdown pass from Bryce Young. After the game, he spoke to reporters about a controversy from earlier in the season following a loss to Tennessee at Neyland Stadium.

The wide receiver was going off the field and appeared to push a few fans on his way back to the locker room, including appearing to rough up a female fan. He came under fire after that game but didn’t receive any public form of discipline from coach Nick Saban over the course of the season.

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“That whole situation, it was a mistake,” Burton said Saturday of the incident in Knoxville, via The Tuscaloosa News. “I can’t hold that against myself forever.… But a mistake is a mistake. You move past it. I’m not going to let situation frame me as a person or shape me as a person because I know who I am, and my team knows who I am.”

He added: “It can be hostile in a lot of situations. The (SEC) can do whatever they can, but it’s not safe for a lot of people.”

Alabama will likely finish the season in the top 5 of the final Associated Press poll. With the win over Kansas State, the team finishes 11-2 on the year.