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UAB suspends safety Sirad Bryant for stomping foot of Tennessee's Max Gilbert

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey09/25/25GrantRamey
Sirad Bryant, UAB Athletics
Sirad Bryant, UAB Athletics

UAB safety Sirad Bryant will be suspended for next week’s game against Army, according to head coach Trent Dilfer, after cameras caught Bryant stomping on the foot of Tennessee place kicker Max Gilbert after an extra point in the 56-24 loss to the Vols Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

“Sirad is not here,” Dilfer said on Blazer Sportsline earlier this week. “It has been well-publicized the mistake he made Saturday. He has made a formal apology … he is brokenhearted. He knows he made a mistake. He is willing to take the consequences of his poor decision-making. As he said to me, he allowed his outside circumstances to affect his choice.

“He knows he is wrong for that and he knows there’ll be consequences to that. He won’t play in the next game. He’ll still be a full member of our team. We love Sirad. Sirad is a great kid, a very big part of our team. He’ll still help us try to go win against Army, he just won’t be on the field.”

‘What I did was inexcusable no matter the circumstances’

After the Vols scored their third touchdown of the first quarter, Bryant was seen going out of his way to stomp on Gilbert’s foot after he kicked an extra point to put the Vols up 21-0 late in the first quarter. 

“He really feels like he let down Blazer Nation, he let down his teammates, he let down himself. But I also told him it’s in the past. All you can do is ask for forgiveness, move on and make better decisions next time. We will support him, lock arms with him and love him through this.”

Bryant issued his own apology Saturday night on social media:

“First off I would like to apologize to Max Gilbert for stepping on his foot. Not only that, I would like to apologize to my teammates, coaches and also to Blazer Nation. What I did was inexcusable no matter the circumstances. I am better than that and take full accountability for my actions. It is not a representation of who I am as a player and person.”

Trent Dilfer: ‘I’m not happy with it.’

Dilfer said during his postgame press conference that Bryant would be punished for his actions, which drew a personal foul.

Tennessee punter Jackson Ross, who holds for Gilbert on field goal attempts and extra points, went after Bryant and had to be held back after seeing the stomp. 

Tennessee had just completed a five-play, 45-yard touchdown drive before the extra point, building the lead to 21-0 thanks to a 3-yard DeSean Bishop touchdown run. The Vols scored another 21 points in the second quarter, building a 42-7 halftime lead, then extending the lead to 56-10 in the third quarter.

“I’ve seen an Instagram video of it, I’m not happy with it,” Dilfer said after the game. “I want to get the full video of it, and he will be disciplined because of it.”