On Friday, Joshua Frazier’s mother, Donna Frazier, shared a deeply personal blog post about her son’s time at the University of Alabama, revealing serious concerns about his experience.
Frazier, who played for Alabama from 2014 to 2018, wrapped up his college career with 28 total tackles before being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2018 NFL Draft.
In her post, which was directed at recruits and their families, Donna Frazier alleged that her son’s injury treatment at Alabama led to his struggle with addiction. She began by criticizing the school’s recruiting practices, warning players and parents to be cautious.
“Without question, you and your families have endured and sacrificed much throughout this journey,” she wrote. “While Alabama will roll out the red carpet, be careful—it may lead you straight into a ditch. And if it does, have a plan to get out.”
She then accused the program of mismanaging player injuries, using Tua Tagovailoa’s case as an example. Donna criticized head coach Nick Saban for allowing Tagovailoa to play shortly after suffering an injury, which ultimately led to a devastating hip dislocation and an uncertain future.
Donna also detailed her son’s own experience during his sophomore year, claiming that a position coach pressured him into taking Vyvanse—a Schedule 2 stimulant classified as a performance-enhancing drug by the NCAA. She described the drug as highly addictive and dangerous, listing severe side effects such as heart failure and death.
“At no point did any medical professional or staff member inform me that my son had any condition requiring this medication,” she stated. “When I sent my son to Alabama, he was healthy and drug-free. He graduated in 3 ½ years with a degree in Communications—and an addiction to Vyvanse.”
However, Joshua Frazier was not pleased with his mother’s decision to publicly share these claims. He responded via Twitter, expressing frustration over the post.
“My mother posted about me without my permission,” he wrote. “Yes, most of what she said is true, but those are her words, not mine. The person I trusted most betrayed me, and she will no longer have access to my life.”
Joshua acknowledged that Alabama’s football program has issues but emphasized that he wanted to handle them privately. He also made it clear that he still loves his teammates and the relationships he built at Alabama, despite feeling that the program itself did not meet his expectations.
