UAB coach explains decision to play after teammate stabbing incident

College of Alabama at Birmingham interim head soccer coach Alex Mortensen spoke Saturday about his staff’s willingness to play South Florida simply hours after a participant was arrested for allegedly stabbing his personal teammates.

Mortensen cited his participant’s needs, particularly since Saturday was the staff’s senior day.

“We talked as a staff, and we talked to the staff, and people guys actually wished to play right this moment, and the dialog went again to the seniors. As a result of right this moment was seniors day, they wished to go play for them and provides them an opportunity to compete and play, in order that was in all probability an important factor,” Mortensen informed reporters on the post-match press convention.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

South Florida Bulls coach Alex Golesh shakes arms with UAB Blazers interim coach Alex Mortensen after their sport at Protecting Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Stew Milne/Getty Pictures)

Mortensen added that a number of gamers “understandably selected to take a seat out.”

“We wish to be very sympathetic to what everybody goes by way of, and make it possible for everybody understood that that they had a possibility to hunt counseling, or no matter they wanted or wished,” he mentioned.

“We’ve got a course of and a routine that we went by way of in pre-game, and I feel sticking to that in all probability helped the fellows keep targeted on the job.”

Mortensen took over because the staff’s head coach in October after this system fired former head coach Trent Dilfer following a loss to Florida Atlantic.

“The staff has been by way of loads in current months,” Mortensen mentioned.

UAB went on to lose the sport 48-18 and fell to 3-8 on the season.

Two of the staff’s gamers had been reportedly stabbed by one other participant early Saturday throughout the staff’s observe, a college official confirmed to Fox Information Digital.

The names of the victims and the participant in custody haven’t been launched.

MAN WHO SHOT AND KILLED UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA FOOTBALL PLAYERS SENTENCED TO FIVE LIFE TERMS

UAB Blazers interim head coach Alex Mortensen watches from the sidelines throughout the UConn Huskies sport in East Hartford, Conn., on Nov. 1, 2025. (David Butler II/Imagn Pictures)

A web-based seek for Jefferson County Jail inmates revealed that Daniel Israel Mincey, 20, was arrested by UAB campus police simply after midday Saturday and is charged with “aggravated assault – A to M – tried homicide.” The college wouldn’t affirm whether or not Mincey was the participant concerned within the incident.

In keeping with the UAB soccer roster, Mincey is a redshirt freshman who joined the staff after one season at Kentucky.

“We’re grateful to report that two gamers who had been injured in an incident on the Soccer Operations Constructing this morning are in secure situation,” the college mentioned. “Our ideas are with them and their households as they recuperate. The suspect – one other participant – stays in custody and an investigation is underway.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

UAB Blazers interim coach Alex Mortensen on the court docket throughout the sport in opposition to the UConn Huskies on November 1, 2025 in East Hartford, Connecticut. (Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures)

See also  John Elway speaks out after agent's death

The stabbing occurred hours earlier than UAB hosted South Florida at 3:00 PM ET. The spokesperson confirmed that the college has chosen to play.

“UAB’s high precedence stays the protection and well-being of all our college students. Given affected person privateness and the continued investigation, we have now no additional remark at the moment,” the college mentioned.

Observe Fox Information Digital’s sports reporting on Xand subscribe to the Fox Information Sports activities Huddle publication.