The University of Alabama Football Coach spoke again about his departure from the Miami Dolphins.

“I have been criticized for that and maybe rightfully so, but it’s not really who I am, and I do care about what people think,” Saban said. “I am responsible for how I handled [leaving the Dolphins for the Alabama job] and I tried to handle it in a way that was going to be the best for our team.

No Nick, you handled it in a fashion only suited for yourself. That’s why you got my much coveted Knucklehead award last January. Yes some people consider it a reward or honor.

Rick at SOTP wrote-

Nah, you think so coach? Let’s see, you jumped out of a sinking ship after making some of the biggest holes, captain. Add public flip-flopping, equivocating or outright lies and a big Alabama-rolling-billboard moving truck and I’d say you did as much as you could to ensure an ungraceful exit.

It was both classless and ungraceful. Nick Saban will get his due one day. Coaching the Crimson Tide hasn’t been a pleasant experience for most of Bear Bryant’s successors. Saban could well find it just as unrewarding and when it does there will be cheering in South Florida.

A South Florida Sports reporter leaked the off the record comments to a radio station.

Three reporters representing The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post and The South Florida Sun-Sentinel met with Nick Saban on Jan. 3 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the day after he left the Dolphins, and in the ensuing 45-minute interview, the coach made a handful of off-the-record remarks.

One of those remarks included explicit language and a slur against Cajuns, and became public when Miami Herald reporter Jeff Darlington shared a recording of Saban’s words with a South Florida sports radio host.

The coach’s slur was not initially published by The Herald because of the coach’s request for that portion of the interview to remain private.

Two weeks later, Darlington e-mailed an audio file of the conversation that included the slur to 560-WQAM radio host Orlando Alzugaray, who aired the comments on his morning radio show in both South Florida and Mobile.

Copies from those airings then hit the Internet.

‘’In poor judgment, I decided to e-mail another journalist an audio sampling of an interview that took place in Nick Saban’s office,'’ Darlington said. “Though I did not expect the clip to be used, it was still my responsibility to make sure the audio was never published in any way. I apologize for my bad decision.

“My recorder was on the table in front of Coach Saban, in plain view, and he knew the conversation was being recorded. However, I never initially reported the material because he indicated to the three reporters present that it was not intended for print.'’

Bob at The Daily Pulp sums this story up best.

Yeah, Jeff, who woulda thunk sending an audiotape to a radio station would end like this? I mean, radio stations usually have better sense than to drive up ratings by putting controversial tapes of celebrities on the air. So don’t beat yourself up, man, because NOBODY could have foreseen that.

Will Darlington be fired for leaking the tape? I wouldn’t think any newspaper or media outlet would appreciate a reporter doing what Darlington did.

Cross posted to- OTB Sports and The Florida Masochist

Via the AP: Alabama’s Saban addresses use of ethnic phrase

As an audiotape spread on the Internet, Alabama coach Nick Saban acknowledged Wednesday using a phrase considered derogatory to Cajuns but said he doesn’t condone such language and merely was repeating something a friend told him.

Saban, a former LSU and Miami Dolphins coach, used an ethnic slur Jan. 3 while telling Florida reporters in Tuscaloosa an anecdote about an LSU fan’s angry reaction to his hiring.

When asked about the LSU fans’ reaction, Saban related a phone call from a friend on the LSU board of trustees, whom he did not name. In what seemed to be an attempt at humor, Saban told of the friend’s encounter with an LSU fan, who speaks in a Cajun dialect.

“He was walking down the street yesterday before the Sugar Bowl,” Saban said on the taped comments. “He calls me. There was a guy working in the ditch, one of those coonass guys that talk funny.

“I can’t talk like them, but he can. Most people in Louisiana can.”

Continuing to tell the story, Saban then quoted the worker’s vulgar comment about Saban going to Alabama.

I will confess that I am unfamiliar with the term noted above. However, even not knowing anything about its etymology or precisely what level of offense it may convey, I can assure you that it is obvious, on its face, that it isn’t a word one ought to be using when talking to reporters with recorders. I am rather surprised, given his high profile, that Saban isn’t smart enough to recognize that fact himself from the get-go.

Via the Huntsville Times: Saban adds trio to coaching staff:

Not included among the latest announcements was Major Applewhite, the offensive coordinator at Rice. Applewhite has accepted an offer from Saban to coach quarterbacks, according to a Friday report in the Houston Chronicle.

Here’s the Houston Chronicle story which notes that Applewhite was named after Crimson Tide star Major Oglivie.

One guesses that Applewhite has a long and successful coaching career ahead of him if his tenure as Rice’s OC is to be a guide (not to mention his clear mental grasp of the game when he was Texas’ QB).

h/t: James Joyner

I thought this already, but after watching Florida dismantle OSU last night, I have to wonder how long it will take for Saban to get Alabama back to the top. Consider: he will have to deal with (either on the regular schedule on in potential SEC title game): Auburn, (which has been the superior team in Alabama for some time, and remains such), LSU (which loses its starting QB, but I think has another potential stud waiting in the wings), South Carolina (which is still on the ascendancy it would seem–they almost beat Florida in Florida this year), and, of course, Florida (with Tim Tebow set to take over at QB and I think he has more upside than Leak).

Now, I think that Saban is a good coach, although I doubt he is the Football Messiah that he is being made out to be in some quarters. Not only is he going to have to fix whatever problems Shula (and the NCAA sanctions) have created at Alabama, but he has to contend with a number of very strong teams in his conference–teams that look to be at least one or two quanta beyond the Tide at the moment.

There will be high expectations even going into the first year (there are always high expectations in Tuscaloosa–usually unrealistic ones), but he will get something of a pass. Still, by the second year there is going to be some serious pressure to take the team up several notches. If he doesn’t, the negativity will being in spades–and look for many who are defending or ignoring Saban’s salary at the moment to all of a sudden become outraged at the numbers.

In regards to expectations I would note that just a year ago, Shula had Alabama back in the top 5 with a 10-2 record (and was granted an extension and a raise). Further, everyone who was paying attention knew that Alabama was going to be much worse this year due to the loss of key talent. Nonetheless, the season ended up being treated like a surprise here in Alabama. The point isn’t that Shula deserved to keep his job (more to the point, he didn’t deserve to get a raise and extension after one good season), but that opinions of coaches are mercurial in Crimson Nation. At the moment, the fans are seeing SEC Championships and runs at National titles in the near future, but I have to say that at best such runs are several years aways given the current state of the Tide and especially of the SEC. As such, how long before Saban is viewed as dog (especially given his price tag?).

The Birmingham News is reporting that Nick Saban has accepted the Alabama Coaching Job.

Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban told a Dolphins assistant coach on Tuesday night that he had decided to accept the University of Alabama head coaching job, a source close to the situation said this morning.

Meanwhile, another source said Saban’s wife, Terry, contacted the UA athletics administration this morning regarding housing arrangements.

This is a major gain for the Bama Nation! I just hope that he beats Auburn at least once in three years so we are not going through this process again in three years.

I’m betting that Nick Saban leaves Miami for Alabama. He wouldn’t be the first Saban to pack up and leave Miami early.

If Dolphins coach Nick Saban announces today that he is leaving, longtime fans of football in South Florida might experience a sense of déjà vu.

Almost exactly 28 years ago, on Jan. 5, 1979, another coach named Saban - Lou Saban, Nick’s cousin - met with the media to explain why he had bolted from the University of Miami.

Lou Saban also was an accomplished coach, having won two AFL titles with the Buffalo Bills in the 1960s. But he was a bit of a vagabond, too, at one point accepting nine jobs in less than three decades.

His decision to leave UM after the 1978 season was particularly baffling. He had a six-year contract and finished 3-8 and 6-5 in his first two rebuilding seasons.

Those were encouraging results for a struggling program, but Lou Saban nevertheless shocked his players and fans by opting to take over at Army.

“I thought I had done all I could do at Miami,” he said at the time.

Saban had been an Army officer, and he said West Point inspired him in a special way.

But he coached at Army just one season, finishing 2-8-1.

Unlike now, there were no rumors swirling or gaggles of sportswriters(and bloggers) talking about whether Lou Saban would leave or stay. I was 18 at the time and in the last year of high school. A local sportswriter wrote about Saban’s departure as if it meant death for the U of M program.

Less than five years later a Howard Schnellenberger led Miami Hurricane squad would win the Orange Bowl and the national championship.

What the above Post article doesn’t delve into much is both Saban’s tendency to move on from job to job.

Take for instance Lou’s travels-

1960-1961 Boston Patriots
1962-1965 Buffalo Bills
1967-1971 Denver Broncos
1972-1976 Buffalo Bills

77-78 U of Miami
79- Army
83-84 Central Florida

Before coaching in the NFL, Saban did stints as a head football coach at Northwestern and Western Illinois beginning in 1955.

I used Wikipedia to bring up the above. The online encyclopedia has its limitations. There is no mention of either Saban’s Army stint or his less than three week stay as Atheletic director at the U of Cinncinatti in 1977(Between Buffalo and Miami jobs).

Nick  has worked at the following college programs or NFL teams before getting his first head coaching job-  Syracuse University, West Virginia University, Ohio State, Navy, Houston Oilers  and his alma mater of Kent State University.

Saban then spent one year at the University of Toledo as head football coach. 1990
Four years as a Cleveland Brown asst coach 1991-94, five years at Michigan State 95-99 and five years at LSU 2024-04.

That’s alot of moving around.  A Palm Beach Post article says Saban may be feeling insecure about his job in Miami and has had these problems in the past.

A source who has spoken to Saban in recent days said his flirtation with Alabama stems from his fear that Huizenga might not want him for long if the Dolphins, 15-17 in the past two seasons, remain mediocre.

“He really thinks he’s going to get fired if he has another losing season,” the source said. “This was also a problem at Michigan State.”

Considering Alabama’s recent coaching history, will Nick feel all that secure in Tuscaloosa?

I don’t think Saban’s present decision is being driven by money but  his preference for college coaching and perhaps worries about his future in Miami.  Today looks like the day we’ll discover where Nick Saban will be coaching in 2024.

Cross Posted at OTB Sports 

Via ESPN: Alabama to make formal offer to Saban later today

Alabama has only floated numbers that will be in the $4 to $4.5 million range, but over an 8- to 10-year term.

There are 11 colleges coaches who make over $2 million a year. There are four coaches in the $3 million-plus range, if you count USC’s Pete Carroll, who made $2.93 million this year and should be over $3 million next year. Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops are over $3 million.

I am not sure what constitutes an appropriate or fair salary, but it seems to me that a public institution signing a contract in the range of $40-$50 million strikes me an too much.

James Joyner at OTB Sports has additional comments.

One has to wonder, as a quote from the Dolphin’s owner in Joyner’s post suggests, as to whether Saban is using this situation as a way to up his salary with the Phins.

Speaking of the Big XII and bowls, I have a student who needs it noted to him that a Big XII team beat his Crimson Tide this week:
Oklahoma St. 34, Alabama 31.