While I was away earlier this month, the lovely Beth wrote about money and loyalty and what it means for a team. Recently, Nick Saban jumped ship from the Miami Dolphins to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, bringing both issues to light. He was harassed by the media, by hypocrites saying he was a liar. Naturally, in their haste to jump on a bandwagon, the reporters missed a few things on the whole story.
First off, Saban was insistent that he had no intention of leaving the Dolphins for Alabama, because, at the time, he wasn’t going to leave the Dolphins. It’s as simple as that. It wasn’t until he was bowled over with a phenomenal contract offer for a job he excelled at (college head coach, as opposed to NFL). This is no Larry Brown situation. Saban has always sought to finish out his contracts, unless a very lucrative offer was given to him, AND his bosses gave him the ok. As much as people want to blame him, it’s not Saban’s fault that the Tide were desperate for a big name coach.
Second, Saban wasn’t leaving until he had a meeting with Wayne Huizenga, owner of the Dolphins, who gave Saban his blessing. Saban would not have even met with Alabama officials had it not been for Huizenga. Besides, they both knew that Saban was more comfortable in the college arena. After all, Saban was 15-17 with the Dolphins, while going 91-42-1 at the collegiate level. Everyone involved saw that it would be best for Saban to get back into college coaching while he still had his dignity, unlike, say, Dennis Erickson or Butch Davis.
The lesson here, as always, is not to go wagging your finger at someone for swithching affiliations or jobs until all the facts are straight. – Ryan
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