Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses‘ decision to return for his senior season has come into doubt after a statement from his father. Attorney Edward Moses Jr., said his son had given an “unadvised commitment” to come back to school rather than enter the NFL draft.
Dylan Moses on Monday had announced his decision to return to the Crimson Tide for the 2020 season. He missed all of this past season recovering from a torn knee ligament he suffered in August.
The statement, released Thursday on social media by Dylan Moses, said he had received a second-round draft grade from the NFL advisory committee and that his father is investigating whether Dylan has a “loss of value” claim against an insurance carrier.
Dylan Moses obtained the insurance policy on his own last spring after receiving a “mid-1st round NFL draft projection,” the statement said.
The statement goes on to say that Edward Moses Jr. was representing his son during negotiations with Alabama “to insure and to secure the proper protections for his return back to the University of Alabama’s football team for his senior season.”
Loss of value coverage protects athletes from losing a predetermined future contract value because of significant injury or illness.
When reached Thursday evening, Edward Moses told ESPN that they recently received his son’s insurance policy and are reviewing it now to “determine our next course of action.”
As a sophomore, the Louisiana native and former five-star was a Butkus Award Finalist, leading the team with 86 tackles.
As of Thursday evening, Moses’ original announcement saying he would return for his senior season at Alabama had not been deleted from his verified Instagram page.
“Football is not who I am. It is what I do,” Moses wrote as part of the original post. “Life after football is what I am most concerned about, and I want to ensure I can put myself in the best possible situation to succeed in life, fulfill my goals and make my dreams come true.”
Prior to his announced return, ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. had Moses listed as the No. 1-rated inside linebacker in the 2020 draft class.
Without Moses, Alabama’s defense took a step back in 2019. A pair of true freshmen were forced into starting roles at inside linebacker, and the Tide gave up a combined 94 points in its two losses to LSU and Auburn.