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Nick Saban has been the target of significant media figureheads everywhere for going after former NFL star and popular HBCU (Jackson State) head coach Deion Sanders and Texas A&M head coach and former Saban assistant Jimbo Fisher for their methods of landing recruits.
Shannon Sharpe called Saban out on Fox Sports 1's Undisputed for not looking into his own program's possible shortcomings instead of lashing out at those playing the NIL game at a higher level:
"This is why they set this up because they didn't want people to have an unfair advantage because they felt there were backroom deals going on. Everyone knows what's going on in college football. So now it's on the up and up. Coach Saban, if you want to solicit funds from your boosters to have them dig deeper into their pocket, just go to them. But when you bring guys and other people into your mess, they're gonna respond."
Public scrutiny could have forced Nick Saban's hand and made him apologize
Nick Saban may have known exactly what he was doing when he spoke out against two men he knew pretty well: Jimbo Fisher and Deion Sanders. Fisher spent time as the offensive coordinator on Saban's LSU staff, while Sanders and Saban formed an (albeit one-sided) friendship after filming Aflac commercials.
Public scrutiny might have forced Saban's hand and made him apologize for his comments. However, he didn't entirely give repentance for his entire accusatory rant on Thursday afternoon to a group of Alabama financial power players.
Saban said:
“I should have never really singled anybody out. That was a mistake and I really apologize for that part of it. I should have been more specific when I said ‘bought’ in saying you can buy players now through name, image and likeness and never mentioned any specific school and just said across the sport. That’s on me. But other than that, I don’t have any regrets over what I said Wednesday.”
The comments from Nick Saban have caught the ire of college football fans who have watched Alabama players flash Dodge Chargers for years and know that former West Virginia QB Pat White has admitted to being offered a Corvette by Alabama. Some see it as hypocritical, while others (like Shannon Sharpe) see Saban as whining that he's finally not on top of the recruiting world and is handling it like a sore loser.
Poll : Did Nick Saban need to apologize for his comments?
Yes
No
66 votes
