Getty Images
Alabama coach Nick Saban may be on the wrong side of the 70s, but he can step back as an All-Pro defender.
In a session with reporters on Tuesday, Saban was asked about the recent conversation between him and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher about the name, image and similarity dynamics.
It started less than two weeks ago, when Saban said Texas A&M “bought” his entire recruiting class. Fisher responded angrily, essentially accusing Saban of cheating reports and inviting reporters to investigate Saban’s background.
“I didn’t really say anyone did anything wrong,” Saban told SI.com on Tuesday. “I’ve said everything I’m going to say about it. I should never have mentioned any individual institution, as I said before.”
Saban repeatedly insisted on Tuesday that he did not charge anyone with a crime. However, it is still an offense for programs to be directly involved in organizing NIL payments or to make payments directly to players. By saying that Texas A&M “bought” its recruiting class, a reasonable person could easily conclude that Saban was accused by Texas A&M and Fisher of crossing the line.
Surprisingly, Saban doesn’t seem to think that Fisher crossed the line on the things he said about Saban. He said on Tuesday that “he has no problem with Jimbo.”
Either Saban has much thicker skin than ever before, or he’s lying. He may not want to involve Fisher in the matter of what he is accusing Saban of doing in the past in order to prevent the question from escalating to the point where someone accepts Fisher’s invitation to begin investigating Saban’s past. . practices.
In any case, Saban is eager to move on. We’ll see if Fisher is willing to do the same. Their teams will meet on October 8th.