There has been no evidence of any such thing. Aside from that, assuming that a "panther" was sighted, it is nothing more than a subspecies of the typical cougar or mountain lion. Specifically Puma concolor.

"Eastern Cougar Net" lists numerous accounts of "class I" and "class II" sightings but never defines what exactly those mean.

Regardless, there is no scientifically recognized population of eastern cougars outside of south Florida or so called "Florida panthers" which are again,a subspecies Puma concolor coryi.

...Deleted by CalHunter... It was probably a large coyote or other mammal.

It probably wasn't a fisher in Alabama. Fishers (Martes pennanti ) prefer boreal forest and their range is generally restricted to the northern states and the Rocky Mountains.