Steelers' Najee Harris left Alabama 'for like two weeks' after being 'belittled' by Nick Saban

Per TMZ Sports and Adam Spencer of Saturday Down South, Harris seemed to confirm that take about his former coach during the latest edition of "The Pivot Podcast" hosted by Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor.

"Me and Saban man, we did not get along at first," Harris explained during the episode. "We had a couple of arguments at first, because he just didn’t understand what type of dude I was. I don’t know how many Cali dudes he had … I’m not the type of dude to sit back and just let somebody talk to me, I guess, in a way and expect me not to say something.

"I can take coaching, but, like, it’s just a certain type of line when you cross, like all right, bro, I’m a man, you ain’t gonna talk to me like that … Coach me. Don’t think you’re more than just a coach to me. Don’t try to belittle. I felt like I was belittled."

Harris continued:

"We bumped heads a lot. … Last incident happened and I left school. I left school for like two weeks — people didn’t know that. I left school for like two weeks and then Saban sat me in his office. … We exchanged words and from that point on, he took time out of his day to understand who I really am. Ever since that day, we were rock solid. Other people will lie about relationships, like, 'Oh yeah, we clicked right on.' Nah, bro, it was not like that with me and Coach Saban." 

Harris' overall experience at Alabama wasn't all negative, though, as Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told "The Pivot Podcast" in June that the 24-year-old ball-carrier is already "a born leader" even though he has just one pro season on his career resume. Months after future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger called time on his playing days, Harris declared he is willing to get 500 touches during the upcoming season if doing so will help the Steelers win games. 

One wonders if Harris picked up at least some of that toughness thanks to Saban's guidance.