By Mike Rodak
Matt Self, one of the senior members of the University of Alabama’s athletic department and the department’s administrator for the football program, was arrested Sunday by Tuscaloosa police on a domestic violence charge.
According to Tuscaloosa Police Department spokeswoman Stephanie Taylor, police were called to a home shortly after midnight Sunday. As a result of the investigation, Self was charged with third-degree domestic violence. He appeared Sunday evening in the inmate database of Tuscaloosa County jail.
Self, 45, was placed on a 24-hour domestic violence hold and bond was set at $300. He was no longer listed late Monday morning in the jail inmate database. Additional details surrounding the incident were not yet available from police.
“Alabama Athletics is aware of this incident,” an athletics department spokesperson said in a statement. “We take such matters seriously and will continue to gather more information to address this personnel matter.”
Self’s title is Deputy Director of Athletics, Compliance and Support Services. According to his biography on the Alabama athletics website, Self is “responsible for all areas of compliance with NCAA, SEC and UA rules and regulations, monitoring efforts and investigations. In addition, Self, a member of the department’s executive staff, oversees equipment operations, sports medicine/athletic training, nutrition, strength and conditioning and is the sport administrator for football and volleyball.”
Self has served as the department’s football administrator since the departure of executive deputy athletics director Jeff Purinton last May to become Arkansas State’s athletic director.
Self earned his law degree from Alabama and was admitted to the State Bar of Alabama in 2004. He appears as a “special member — not authorized for the private practice of law in Alabama” on the State Bar website.
His biography on the Alabama athletics department website notes Self is a licensed attorney and states he “assists the athletic department with risk management, contracts and legislative issues and regularly works with the UA Office of Counsel, UA President’s Office, UA Systems Office, outside counsel and other on-campus partners.”
He had a private law practice until he joined Alabama’s athletic department in 2008 and served as the primary compliance liaison for the football team. He was promoted in 2016 to lead the entire compliance department.
Alabama court records show Self was previously arrested in Tuscaloosa County in 2010. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DUI charge and received probation in addition to paying a fine and receiving a suspended 10-day jail sentence.
