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Alabama linebacker Trey DePriest (33) talks with the media before the Crimson Tide's third preseason football practice of the 2013 season, the open-to-the-fans Fan Day, Sunday, August 04, 2013, in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

-- Alabama inside linebacker

Trey DePriest

has been suspended for a violation of team rules, coach

Nick Saban

said after Tuesday's practice.

DePriest, who was second on the team with 59 tackles last season, was not at practice Tuesday.

"He will be eligible to return to the team if he does what he's supposed to in relatively short order," Saban said. "If he does those things, he'll be back with us in as soon as a week."

DePriest started 13 of 14 games in 2012 and was slated to do the same next to

C.J. Mosley

.

"We have a lot of respect for Trey," Saban said. "He's played very well for us, he made a mistake, he didn't do the right thing, it wasn't a very smart thing to do and there has to be consequences sometimes when you don't do the right things.

"Hopefully he'll learn from it and it will make him better and he'll have a better chance to be successful in life."

Saban was asked if it disappointed him to suspend a veteran such as DePriest.

"I don't have to suspend any players," Saban said. "I don't like suspending players, but if we're going to punish any players or suspend any players, it's going to be in their best interest to change their behavior so they have a better opportunity to be successful. If it's not going to do that, I don't see any reason to do it.

"It's almost like raising your kids. If you're going to spank them and it doesn't change their behavior, why spank them? If you can take their computer of their cell phone away from them and it changes their behavior, then I'd say that's the thing to do. We would only do it in the best interest of the player."

Sophomore tight end

Malcolm Faciane

returned to practice Tuesday after serving a 30-day suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

"He's now going through his five-day acclimation period," Saban said.