Barstool Sports

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Birmingham lawyer Marcus Jones III got the miracle he was looking for this afternoon _ the delay of a trial so he could go to the BCS National Championship game in Miami on Jan. 7. Jones has been a self-described “fanatic” of University of Alabama football since his father took him to football games in the early 1960s as a young boy. He said he still has a beer can Joe Namath drank from at a bar the night it was announced the star Alabama quarterback would be joining the Jets. “We’re just die hard Alabama fans,” he said of his family.

So when he was finally assured that his University of Alabama football team would be going to the BCS National Championship game on Jan. 7, he bought tickets and had one major obstacle to overcome. He needed to get a civil court trial rescheduled that was set to begin the day of the game. On Dec. 6, five days after Alabama was propelled into the BCS championship after its win in the Southeastern Conference championship game, Jones asked presiding Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Scott Vowell to continue the trial in which Jones was a defense attorney. “The undersigned (Jones) is an Alabama football fanatic and has been since being a young child, attending games with great players such as Pat Trammell and Joe Namath, with a strong belief that football in Alabama is special,” Jones wrote in his motion. Jones explained to the judge that he waited so close to the trial to ask for a continuance “due to superstition and the uncertainty of how the season would play out.”

Jones also explained in his motion that one of his daughters was getting married in mid-December _ which she did _ and was postponing her honeymoon until the week of the BCS bowl game. She will be in the vicinity of the bowl game an had made arrangements to meet the family to attend, he wrote.

That miracle happened a few hours later this afternoon after Jones approached the judge with another plea. Vowell, who will be retiring next year, said this afternoon in an email to The Birmingham News that he would delay the trial after all.   ”Knowing one of the lawyers in this case, Marcus Jones, to be an avid Roll-Tider, I thought that the case would settle if I kept it on the docket of January 7,” Vowell explained of his original denial of Jones’ motion. “The case went to mediation but it did not settle. I have a strict continuance policy and it helps keeps the docket current.”

“While I remain an Auburn fan, even after this dismal season, I hate to see an Alabama man cry” – Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Scott Vowell “While I remain an Auburn fan, even after this dismal season, I hate to see an Alabama man cry. I have therefore reluctantly agreed to grant the lawyers a short continuance,” Vowell stated.

This is the beauty of college football and why I’ll always regret not going to a big football school or growing up with a team.  Shit literally transcends everything.  Life.  Family.  The American legal system.   Like there is a court date set for criminals to be prosecuted with a judge and lawyers and a jury and it just gets put on hold because one of the guys wants to watch the big game.   Justice taking a back seat to Bama/Notre Dame.  Then you got the daughter postponing her honeymoon and making it to Miami just to go to the game.   Crazy/awesome stuff.  And the best part is that the judge is an Auburn fan and he’s letting it all slide for his rival.  Compassion for your fellow man all because of a little football.  I mean he’s 100% ruling against the guy when the trial actually gets under way but for now it’s just a beautiful sports moment.