Michael Cummings

I was overseas once, in a certain French-speaking country to be exact, when I did something very, very, ridiculously stupid.

With just minutes to go until my train departed from the station, I glanced down to find my bags — only to see the cold stare of pavement looking back at me.

You see, back in my hotel, several miles away, I had neglected to pick up my bags at the front door. When I finally returned to the terminal after a frantic cab ride, needless to say I was late.

Nothing like a language barrier and French cabbies to ruin your trip, eh?

But at least I had those excuses.

Andre Smith, on the other hand, does not — even if that same French language was all around him the last few days in New Orleans.

When you’re a big-time college football star for a team that’s all set to play in a big-time college football bowl game, there’s no excuse for lapses in judgment.

And that’s exactly what Smith is guilty of. Even if we don’t know exactly what happened, it’s safe to say Smith made some bad decisions — bad enough to get kicked off Nick Saban’s team.

What makes it worse is the fact that he’s so good: An All-American offensive lineman and Outland Trophy winner, Smith allowed just one sack all season from his left tackle position.

The junior was a major reason why the Crimson Tide completed an undefeated regular season and came within one quarter of knocking off Florida and earning a trip to the BCS National Championship game.

Now? Not so much.

After being sent home for violating team rules, Smith will have no say in how Alabama completes its storybook season. Instead of having the chance to go out on top — Smith is expected to enter the NFL Draft this spring — the junior lineman will be nothing more than a spectator.

Which is a shame, because all he had to do was take it easy — no small feat, admittedly, in the Big Easy — for a couple weeks before playing a football game.

Unfortunately, it looks like Smith lost sight of what was important: That is, helping the Tide win the Sugar Bowl for the first time since 1992 — all while putting everything else on the back burner.

Hopefully, his teammates on the Crimson Tide haven’t lost focus — and it would be a surprise, considering Saban’s holistic approach to football this season.

Everyone will try to forgive and forget — and get on with business as usual. But if the Tide ends up losing, this one is going to be hard for Alabama fans to forget.

Michael Cummings can be reached by e-mail at michaelc@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 258.