Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.

Introduction

Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., a junior defensive back at the University of Alabama and the son of former Alabama All-American and NFL cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, was dismissed from the Crimson Tide football program on October 27, 2026, three days after he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor doxing and harassing communications — offenses laid out in court complaints that allege he sent a profane Facebook Messenger message to a university police officer and posted a photo of the officer with his wife and children online with the caption “Dis him?”. Coach Kalen DeBoer announced the dismissal in a statement saying Kirkpatrick “did not live up to the standards and expectations” set for the team. Kirkpatrick had been released from the Tuscaloosa County Jail on $600 bond.

Background Information

Kirkpatrick joined Alabama in 2024 and served as a second-string defensive back, appearing in 28 games over three seasons with 17 tackles; he had five tackles through seven games in 2026. His father was a Bengals first-round pick in 2012 who spent 10 NFL seasons with Cincinnati, Arizona and San Francisco. His record with the program was already checkered: he was arrested on November 1, 2025 — during a bye week — and charged with three counts of reckless endangerment, attempting to elude and speeding after allegedly fleeing a traffic stop, was indefinitely suspended and missed Alabama’s final seven games, including a College Football Playoff quarterfinal Rose Bowl appearance. He rejoined the roster in the spring after completing what DeBoer described as required measures, with the coach praising his attitude and saying he had “got to build the trust up” again. A separate misdemeanor charge for leaving the scene of an accident, from June 2026, was pending with a November court date.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. Kirkpatrick faces two misdemeanor charges — harassing communications and doxing — filed in complaints in Tuscaloosa County District Court; he has not been tried, no conviction exists, and he is presumed innocent. He has not publicly responded to the allegations.

Per court records released Tuesday and reported on by AL.com, the trouble began on the afternoon of October 20, 2026, when University of Alabama police officer Christopher Fuerch received a Facebook Messenger notification from Kirkpatrick at around 1:14 p.m. while he was at home. “Ayy bitch ass n****? Text me back don’t be no bitch!” the message is alleged to have said. Fuerch reported he was immediately alarmed because of his prior involvement with Kirkpatrick: in November 2025 the officer had conducted a traffic stop that allegedly ended with Kirkpatrick eluding him and other officers on the scene.

When Fuerch went to Kirkpatrick’s Facebook page to block him, he saw that the player had posted a picture of the officer with his wife and their two children, captioned “Dis him?” Court records state the post caused “severe concern for the overall safety and well-being of himself and his family given the substantial audience and public following Kirkpatrick maintains as a football player for the University of Alabama.” Two complaints filed Tuesday morning in Tuscaloosa County District Court charged him with misdemeanor harassing communications and doxing; the student newspaper reported the doxing count is a Class A misdemeanor.

Kirkpatrick was arrested on Friday, October 23, and released from the Tuscaloosa County Jail on $600 bond. He was declared out of Saturday’s game against Texas A&M less than two hours before kickoff — a move later reported as a suspension for violating team rules — and did not play in Alabama’s 31-20 win. Asked about him Monday, DeBoer said only that he was “not with us.” On Tuesday, after what the program described as gathering more information, DeBoer announced the dismissal: “After gathering more information on the situation, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. will no longer be a part of our program. He did not live up to the standards and expectations that I have set for this team and our players.”

Public Reaction and Consequences

The speed of the collapse was the story’s hook: a roster defensive back suspended on a Friday and cut from the program the following Tuesday, at a marquee program that had already suspended him once for the earlier encounter with police. National outlets — the New York Post, CBS Sports and Pro Football Talk — carried the dismissal within hours, most of them framing it as Alabama cutting ties after a second arrest. Inside the university, a spokesperson said only that the school takes the allegations against Kirkpatrick seriously and that any student conduct matter “would be addressed through the University’s student disciplinary process,” with privacy laws limiting what could be shared about the case.

Current Status

Kirkpatrick has been dismissed from the Alabama program, ending his Crimson Tide career. He faces two unadjudicated misdemeanor charges in Tuscaloosa County: no trial has occurred, no conviction exists, and he has made no public statement through counsel or otherwise. Two earlier cases also remain open — a November 18 court date stemming from the 2025 eluding-related charges and a November appearance on the June leaving-the-scene count. The university’s separate student disciplinary process, as the spokesperson’s statement made clear, may still follow.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Thirteen months of accumulated trouble ended a major-college career in a single statement: an arrest in November 2025, a seven-game suspension, a spring return the coach framed as rebuilt trust, a June 2026 hit-and-run charge, and finally the October arrest and dismissal. Whatever NFL trajectory the son of a 10-year NFL veteran had — reserve defensive backs at Alabama are at least nominally in that pipeline — now runs through two pending misdemeanor cases and a program he can no longer represent. The case is also an unusual instance of a college player charged specifically with doxing, an offense more often discussed in the context of online harassment campaigns, allegedly aimed here at the family of a police officer.

Sources

New York Post, “Alabama’s Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. kicked off team after arrest for alleged harassment, doxxing of cop’s family,” October 27, 2026 — source
FOX10/WBRC, “Alabama DB accused of posting officer’s family photo with ‘Dis him?’” October 27, 2026 — source
CBS Sports, “Alabama dismisses DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. after second arrest, Kalen DeBoer announces,” October 27, 2026 — source
The Crimson White, “Alabama defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. ’not with’ team after Friday arrest,” October 26, 2026 — source
Yahoo Sports/Pro Football Talk, “Alabama dismisses CB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. after arrest for doxxing, harassing police officer,” October 28, 2026 — source