Former Florida State star claims Alabama offered him money for recruiting visit
After the recent back and forth between Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher regarding name, image and likeness (NIL), former Florida State defensive back Antonio Cromartie revealed the Crimson Tide made a financial offer during his recruitment.
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In a response to a tweet from his former teammate and Florida State defensive lineman Travis Johnson, Cromartie tweeted this.
"S--t Trap, 02/03 I was offered 60k just to come on a visit to help with recruiting when they were on probation. So yeah, I know what you mean when they been paying for years."
As a recruit in the class of 2003 from Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Cromartie took official visits to Florida State, Florida, Auburn, Michigan, and Alabama. It's important to note that at this time, Saban was the head coach at LSU. Former head coach Mike Shula led the program during this period.
Despite the Crimson Tide’s offer and pursuit from those schools, Cromartie ultimately chose to stay home with the ‘Noles, where he recorded five interceptions and two touchdowns in two seasons.
Although his college career was cut short due to injury, Cromartie was selected by the then-San Diego Chargers at No. 19 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Cromartie spent 10 seasons in the NFL, making stops with the Chargers, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts.
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He retired after the 2016 season and finished his career with 31 interceptions, 417 tackles and 117 pass breakups. He brought in a league-high 10 interceptions in the 2007 season, earning him a spot on the 2007 All-Pro first-team, He was selected to four Pro Bowls (2007, 2012-14).
In 2021, Cromartie joined Fisher’s staff at Texas A&M as the cornerback's coach.
All stats were gathered from Pro Football Reference.
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