Nick Saban’s own aphorisms are getting thrown back in his face.
Saban, who retired after ending his legendary tenure coaching Alabama football earlier this year and is now an analyst for ESPN, picked Georgia and Texas to meet in the SEC championship game this year.
Rather than feeling snubbed, his former players are taking it in stride.
“Something he taught me was not to pay attention to external factors, and since he works at the stadium now and not the facility, he’s an external factor,” offensive lineman Tyler Booker said lightheartedly at SEC media days, as covered by ESPN.
“So I’m not going to pay him no mind. He said, ‘Don’t listen to a guy who sits in his mother’s basement and tweets all day, so I’m not going to listen to a guy who plays golf all day.”
Quarterback Jalen Milroe didn’t let the comments affect his feelings for his former coach.
“All we want to do is focus on us and worry about us,” he said. “We still love Coach, it’s all good.”
Defensive back Malachi Moore was also unbothered, but might be using the moment as bulletin board material.
“It’s so quick to see Coach Saban take on another role other than being Coach Saban,” Moore said. “But he has a job to do, and he’s entitled to his own opinion. But yeah, we heard him.”
Saban won seven national championships in his coaching career, with six coming at Alabama.
He was replaced by Kalen DeBoer, who led Washington to last season’s national championship game, a 34-13 loss against Michigan.