On Wednesday, rumors swirled that Nick Saban's wife Terry Saban was suffering from a serious illness. This happened after he had retired as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.
These rumors spread on social media and some media outlets saw a connection between Nick Saban’s retirement and his wife’s health.
However, on Thursday, Nick Saban cleared the air in an interview with ESPN’s Reece Davis. He explained the reason behind his decision to retire and clarified that there are no health issues for him or his wife, “Miss Terry.”
"There's no illness, Miss Terry's fine. I'm fine. It was, can you sustain the season from a mental grind standpoint?” said Saban.
“When I was young, I could work until 2 in the morning, get up at 6, and be there the next day and be full of energy and go for it,” He added. “But when you get a little older, that gets a little tougher. And I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that.”
Terry Saban did not give a direct response to the rumors.
Terry Saban reflects on Nick Saban's retirement
Miss Terry shared a heartfelt message on Facebook and Instagram amid the earlier speculation about Nick Saban’s retirement.
“It has been an incredible run these last 17 years at the University of Alabama and we take with us many amazing memories,” She wrote.
Saban’s retirement marks the end of an era for Alabama football, but also the beginning of a new chapter for him and his wife through 'Nick's Kids Foundation'.
Terry said that their Nick's Kids Foundation would keep supporting children, students, and teachers in Alabama.
“The rules for the game of football may change, but the ‘process’ will never go out of style: hard work, discipline, the relentless pursuit of a worthy goal, not cutting corners, and doing things the right way for the sake of constant personal improvement, not for the scoreboard.”
At the end of the statement, Terry Saban wrote that Alabama will always be their home sweet home. She finished by saying that they will always root for the University with the slogan, 'Roll Tide!'
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