President Witt supports Mal Moore

TUSCALOOSA - A day after announcing he would appeal sanctions handed down by the NCAA, University of Alabama President Robert Witt placed his backing behind his athletics director.

Speaking after Alabama System Board of Trustee committee meetings that included discussion of several athletic projects, Witt said he had "100 percent confidence" in Mal Moore's ability to lead Crimson Tide sports. The sanctions stemming from a textbook distribution scandal represented the second such occurrence of Moore's 10-year tenure as AD.

"I believe we have the finest athletic director anywhere in the country," Witt said.

The scope of the appeal over the sanctions Witt called "excessive" was still in the planning phase.

Finis St. John IV, the president of the trustees from Cullman, also backed Moore and supported the appeal.

"We are very lucky to have Mal Moore," St. John said. "If you look at the trajectory of the athletic department over the past few years, it has gone nowhere but up."

When asked if Moore should be held responsible for the sanctions that included vacating 21 football wins, St. John paused before answering.

"I don't think coach Moore was responsible for it," he said.

The talk of NCAA appeals followed a meeting that included three construction projects directly related to Crimson Tide athletics.

A proposed $4.5 million expansion of Coleman Coliseum was discussed for the first time before the Physical Property Committee on Thursday.

The addition would include a men's basketball practice facility, new coach's offices, locker rooms and meeting rooms among other amenities. The full cost of the project would be paid by the Crimson Tide Foundation.

A separate $15 million would go to renovating historic Foster Auditorium to be the new home of the women's basketball and volleyball programs. The site of the famous "stand in the school house door" confrontation in 1968, Foster Auditorium would be expanded by 8,500 feet. Specific plans have not been drawn up, but the building's role in the civil rights movement is expected to be honored in some fashion.

Of the $15 million that would be spent on the project, $9 million will come from the athletic department left over when the Bryant-Denny Stadium expansion bids came in below estimates.

The final project, a renovation to the Mal Moore Athletic Facility, was a late addition to the agenda. The upgrades estimated to cost $1.3 million would "provide an enhanced atmosphere for student recruiting," according to a memo from university treasurer Lynda Gilbert to Witt.

Plans call for new landscaping, finish upgrades to a recruiting lounge and upgrade decorations in the building. Additional minor upgrades to football coach Nick Saban's office would provide a more private atmosphere.

All three projects were unanimously approved by the Physical Plant Committee to be presented to the entire board when it meets today.