Meanwhile, Bond had 34 receptions for 540 yards and five touchdowns in his lone season at Texas. He was expected to be a relatively early NFL Draft pick, but ended up going undrafted after turning himself into police due to an outstanding warrant for sexual assault. He still has not signed with a team almost two weeks after the draft.That catch has been immortalized by Alabama fans and in many by art,” McElroy said. “People are drawing paintings of it. People are profiting off of that. You know who’s not profiting off of that? Isaiah Bond. Because Isaiah Bond after the fact went from an Alabama legend, where he’d never have to pay for another drink in Tuscaloosa the rest of his life, and probably would have had many opportunities to potentially make money because of having participated in that play. Instead, he leaves to go to Texas the following year and now Alabama wants nothing to do with him. That’s how much money was potentially left on the table.Iamaleava isn’t the first player to have this kind of fallout with his team, and he definitely won’t be the last. ESPN’s Greg McIlroy even compared Iamaleava’s situation to former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Isaiah Bond, whose decision to transfer away from Alabama may have brought him more short-term money, but probably cost him in the long run. He specifically noted how Bond became a hero in Tuscaloosa after his game-winning touchdown in the Iron Bowl in 2023, but threw it away when he transferred to Texas.
