By Rock Westfall
Did Nick Saban Out Himself for Tampering?
Last week at the NFL Draft, Nick Saban seemed to be copping a plea in front of the nation when he said that former Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, selected 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Eagles, was a player who was “our No. 1 guy in the portal last year to try to get him to come out of the portal, and he would never get in the portal," while commenting as a draft analyst on ABC.
Previously, during a discussion with United States Senators held at the nation’s capital, Saban confessed to retiring out of frustration with the current lawless state of college football. Of course, part of that lawlessness has to do with tampering, the portal, and NIL, which are all factors Saban had no desire to deal with anymore.
Previously, to millions of new converts who were former Saban haters, he was seen as the emerging elder statesman and conscience of college football. But his comments on national TV at the NFL Draft reopened a lot of old wounds and rekindled the belief that Nick Saban has always been a self-serving hypocrite.
Saban basically admitted that he had no problem poaching a player off Toledo head coach Jason Candle’s roster, despite the fact that Saban would become unhinged and enraged if such efforts were made against him.
For many, it was a reminder of Jimbo Fisher's prescient comments about Saban two years ago. To many fans, those words ring true now more than ever.
Jimbo’s Jumbo Rant - “Go Dig Into His Past”
On May 19, 2022, Fisher unleashed an explosive rant in response to Saban's claim that Texas A&M’s top-ranked recruiting class was “bought” through NIL deals.
Fisher, a former Saban assistant who had obvious intimate knowledge of how he operates, gave an unforgettable performance with such statements as “It's despicable that a reputable head coach could come out and say this when he doesn't get his way. Or when things don't go his way. The narcissist in him doesn't allow those things to happen."
Fisher went on about his frustration with how Saban’s status was elevated in the sport, saying, “We build him up to be the Czar of football. Go dig into his past or anybody who's ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out — what he does and how he does it. And it's despicable.”
Additionally, Fisher revealed some of his scars from working for Saban as an assistant when he said, “This is the second time we've had to do this with grown men, who don't get their way, who want to pout, throw a fit, and act up. Just go ask all the people who work for him. They know exactly what he's about."
Fisher then alluded to Saban's hypocrisy, which has long been a point of contention with his critics: “What's funny, in that talk right before he said that about us, wasn't he soliciting funds from the crowd? It's amazing, wasn’t it? When you walk on water, I guess it doesn't matter. It's disgusting what we're into right now, especially by the people throwing the darts, who have no glass in their house."
Out of Touch and Double Dealing
During his reign as Alabama's head coach, Nick Saban ran Tuscaloosa with a brutal iron fist. He was worshiped and never questioned. His word was the law, and he was treated as if he were infallible. Those who objected to Saban’s power were mercilessly attacked.
Saban achieved the impossible of being considered equal, if not superior, to the late great Alabama legend Bear Bryant. For all of this and more, Saban accumulated wealth that few would be able to comprehend while bemoaning that college football players should not be paid. He parlayed his wealth into businesses, including luxury car dealerships for brands such as Mercedes-Benz.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with accumulating mass wealth in the United States. But operating by a separate set of rules and standards from everyone else is where problems arise and where Saban continues to annoy college football insiders, media, and fans.
Saban drew his share of criticism at the Senatorial conference when he lamented that all prospects and most of their parents care about anymore is how much they will be paid.
Saban told of his wife Terry saying that the new world of college football, with its emphasis on player’s rights and compensation, was not what they were about. Terry then asked Saban the multi-million dollar question, "Why are we doing this?"
Saban said at that moment, he knew it was time to get out.
Indeed, it was time for Nick Saban to leave coaching. Now, it is time for him to confess to being all about himself and gaining whatever advantage he can, even if the rules he demands for others never pertain to him.
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