The FBI kept tabs on civil rights lawsuits filed by blacks 40 years ago against legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant of the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide, the Associated Press reported.
The AP, which obtained FBI documents under the Freedom of Information Act, reported that for nearly two years agent tracked suits by blacks who were trying to force Bryant to recruit African Americans.
The AP reported that it was unclear why the FBI followed the case, but suggested the agency under Hoover was interested in civil rights infractions.
Bryant died in 1983 at age 69.
