Shooting victim Scalise to be Saban’s guest at tonight’s Bama-LSU game

It’s not often that the University of Alabama honors a rabid fan of the opposing team, especially when that fan wears purple and gold.

But the Crimson Tide are making an exception tonight for U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), whose recovery from a nearly fatal gunshot inspired his colleagues and much of the country. Scalise is an honored guest at tonight’s Alabama game against his beloved Louisiana State University Tigers. He is watching the game with Alabama’s congressional delegation.

Alabama Coach Nick Saban — who has won national championships at both schools — extended the invitation, said Clay Ryan, the vice chancellor for governmental affairs at the University of Alabama System.

“We hoped the invitation would demonstrate the mutual respect between our universities and recognize the importance of this rivalry,” Ryan said. “Coach Saban has regularly acknowledged the fond memories he and Miss Terry have of their time in Baton Rouge. This is a special game.”

Scalise drew widespread sympathy when a gunman targeting Republicans shot him and four others at a practice of the GOP’s congressional baseball team on June 14. A bullet from James Thomas Hodgkinson’s rifle traveled across his pelvis and fractured bones. He underwent multiple surgeries.

Scalise provoked a rare bout of bipartisanship on Sept. 28 when he returned to the House of Representatives for the first time.

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) said fellow Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) took the lead in helping to organize the event. He said Scalise is well-liked among his colleagues but that the hosts’ hospitality will only go so far.

“After we get through recognizing him for what he’s been through, I hope, as an Alabama graduate, we whip LSU’s tail,” he said.

And don’t count on sympathy for Scalise to extend to his favorite team among the Bryant-Denny Stadium faithful.

“We’ve had to be strategic about where we placed him in the stadium so as not to set off an uproar,” Ryan quipped.