According to Hopate[/b], Washington had not notified the Kahos that Ale’s eligibility would be a concern until after he made the trip to Washington. Not only was the freshman not allowed to practice with the team, he was also forced to live with relatives in the area instead of on campus.
After learning that Ale would have to sit out a season, the family asked Washington for a release. However, it wasn’t until early August that Washington complied. From there, Alabama once again was able to pursue contact with Ale, allowing him to change his course and join the Crimson Tide during the final week of its fall camp.
“It was very frustrating because we were told things that were going to happen that weren’t really happening,” Hopate told BamaInsider.com. “We were kind of strung along a little bit when we should have been told the truth of what is going on so we could figure out what we were going to do. The whole situation played out really crazy, but things happen for a reason.”
