Saban’s message purposeful, on point
What do we know about Nick Saban.
Welp, he’s the best college football coach to ever blow a whistle. Better than Bear Bryant. Better than Tom Osborne. Better than the General or Papa Bowden or anyone else you may be thinking of and wondering if I thought of them, because I did.
And Saban is better.
He is the best recruiter I’ve ever seen, and moreover, the best talent evaluator I can ever remember. Name the last time a five-star busted for Saban at Alabama. Sure, it likely has happened, but they are few and far between.
In fact, as a talent evaluator, Saban has found more two-stars who became NFL players than five-stars who missed.
We also know that he is so far above coach speak that sometimes it may sound like coach speak because of the environment, but it’s not. There are few coaches who will give a better or more direct answer to good questions than Saban
We also know that no one uses his pulpit to speak directly to his team or his fan base through the media as well or as frequently as Saban does.
And now we know he will use that podium to not only hold his plastic bottle of Coca-Cola, he will use it to remind Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats who runs Tuscaloosa.
In addressing the indefinite suspension of five-star defensive back Tony Mitchell on Monday, Saban looked into the media horde and said this: “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
For those unaware of the context, that was the terribly misguided quote Oats used to describe star freshman Brandon Miller’s connection to the events of Jan. 15 that left a 25-year-old woman shot dead.
Oats apologized for his awful word choice and insensitive messaging later that day, saying he misspoke.
Saban assuredly will not apologize for his diction Monday. And do not believe for a second he misspoke.
Those words were calculated and direct.
Maybe it was a reminder, as we mentioned above, for Oats and the Alabama administration who is the Head Coach In Charge, because if Saban even hinted that he needed a change or he would walk, they’d do everything from changing the name of the town to replacing houndstooth with paisley if needed.
Maybe he indirectly was taking a stand for young Black women — to reassure the mommas who he convinces to send their five-star babies to T-town each cycle — and giving a voice to Jamea Harris in some ways.
Maybe he was voicing his frustration that Oats and his basketball program are the talk of the town or his displeasure that negative spotlights on other sports in any program frequently bleed into the football program too.
Or maybe, just maybe, Saban has looked around and, after tiring of the double-talk twostep from every Alabama voice to speak on the matter in the last month or so, decided someone needed to stand up and speak like a grown up.
Either way, just remember two things:
Saban is the GOAT. And Monday’s message was as purposeful and straight-forward as his love for Miss Terry.