Sigh. Saban To Bama: Lessons Learned?

Being a huge LSU fan, I was looking forward to today when LSU plays Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. But, our former coach made an interesting move. He signs on with a major rival, Alabama, after only two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. And, he does it after repeated denials of interest in the job. Here are his words:

Nov. 27 - "No, I haven't. I don't care to be. I don't want to be. I've got a job to do here. My focus is on our players, this team, us getting better, us playing good winning football here. I'm not interested in any other circumstances or situations anyplace else. This is the challenge I wanted. I had a good college job, so why would I have left that if I was going to be interested in another college job?"

Dec. 3 - "I'm not going to continue to respond to rumors and innuendo, which this obviously is. I'm committed to a group of guys here and a football team and a football staff, and we're working hard to get this season right. It really challenges your professionalism and integrity to even talk about it. People throw it to the wall, see what sticks."

Dec. 7 - "They called [agent] Jimmy [Sexton] and said, 'Is Nick interested?' and Jimmy said, 'No.' And Jimmy asked me on several occasions and I said, 'No, I'm interested in staying here. I'm flattered that they may have been interested in me, but it really never progressed because we never let it progress. It's ridiculous. I haven't even talked to anybody and all of a sudden somebody's coming here to interview me."

Dec. 11 - "I in no way wanted to indicate to [Sports Illustrated's Peter King] or anybody else that there was any possibility of [having interest in Alabama]. I have no intentions of going anywhere. Hell, they might not want me here after this season. Did you ever think of that? I've addressed this enough. When does this become a dead story?"

Dec. 21 - "I guess I have to say it: I'm not going to be the Alabama coach. I shouldn't even have to comment on this. I think I've said this over and over again. What they do with their position is their business."

Jan. 1 - "I'm committed to doing my job well here. This is my job. That's what I've done all day, and that's what I'll continue to do."

Jan. 3 - "Where do I sign?"

Update: Pat Forde, at ESPN.com has some very harsh words for Saban in describing The Lying Game:

"Integrity" is out. "Character" is out. "Teacher" is out. "Leader of men" is out.

"Liar" is in.

They're not going to tell the truth to us, but we can tell the truth about them. It's this: They'll say anything to get recruits on campus, and they'll say anything to get media members off their backs when angling for a different job. And the panting attempts by school administrators, fans, other coaches and many media members to portray them as men of superior moral fiber needs to stop.

They're coaches, that's all. That makes them part of a pack of lying liars who only lie when their lips are moving -- and Saban's lips have moved most recently.

As an LSU fan, it will be frustrating to see our former coach on a rival's sideline. But, what do you think about making repeated denials about a job and then taking it? What do you think about signing a contract and then bailing out in the middle of it? What character lessons can we learn here? As a fan, how do you respond to a coach or school that says one thing and does another? Does that prick our conscience any? The easy answer is, "that's how things work - get used to it." I know that, but I wonder, as Christians, how we can speak prophetically to a culture that allows for this and to schools and fans that accept it, as long as they are on the winning end. I know that Alabama fans will see all this through Crimson colored glasses, as I did when he came from Michigan State to LSU. But, at the time, I thought his reasons were good. Now, I see things differently (my own bias at work). If this is how things work (and it is), is it any wonder that trust in our society is at an all time low? For that matter, it goes both ways (just ask Mike Shula), but I thought this was an interesting object lesson, to say the least. What do you think?

Comments

[Jamie Wootten]

Loved Forde's article and you are exactly right Alan. What message does this send to all the people in Miami that bought his LIES? If I were an Alabama recruit how could I ever trust Saban? This sends a bad message to people that honesty no longer matters and certainly Saban isn't the first coach to ever do this. For that matter far too many pastors have pulled this same thing but that is another post for another day.

Just remember the biblical saying that is the motto of every college program:

Winning covers a multitude of sins!

[joe kennedy]

We quoted the same article. Forde was right on. I guess I should be happy that Jeff Bower has kept his word at Southern Miss (the alma mater of the rest of my family).

[Alan Cross]

That was a fierce article, but true. I heard an Alabama fan on the radio today saying that Saban was a "class act." I think that we just pick sides and our side can do no wrong.

This is true in politics.
This is true in sports.
This is true in marriages.
This is true in the current issues in the SBC.

It's a shame that all objectivity is lost. More postmodern relativism, I guess. Truth is truth only when it is to your benefit. Otherwise, it is all subjective. And, watching this whole thing, I am seeing my own flaws in this area. How deep does the rabbit hole go in each of our lives?

[Les Puryear]

Saban won't stay at Alabama any longer than he has remained at any other institution. He seems to coach a few years and then moves on to another challenge. Sounds like a lot of SBC pastors. :)

Les

[Kevin Bussey]

I don't condone what Nick did. He should have just said "no comment."

But I have some questions for everyone:

What would you do if reporters followed you as you interviewed with another church?

What would you do if you had to have a press conference every week and were asked if you were leaving your church?

I wish Nick had handled it better, but he might have been fired had he said yes I am interested in talking with Bama. Then he would have no job.

The lesson learned is to just say nothing. But also the media is out of control. Joe, Tubs did the same thing so lets not be too holier than thou.

[joe kennedy]

Kevin, who's being holier than thou? Go read my post quoting the same article. See what I said.

Here, I'll make it easy for you:

"After his quick lambasting of basically all coaches (including former Bama coach Dennis Francione and current Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville), Forde tears into Alabama and Saban."

[Paul]

Kevin,

The media will never be interested in where a pastor is moving to unless he's already riddled with scandal. ;)

[Natalie]

Alan,

Okay, so please understand I completely respect and appreciate you as a pastor, however as an Alabama graduate and avid fan I think Saban's LIES shouldn't be judged so harshly given the situation. I believe coaches, when in this type of situation should either 1) not comment or 2) give the standard, "I have no intentions of leaving" Yes, Saban is a PR nightmare with all his comments but I do think the media was unforgiving in their questioning and lacked respect. Let's not forget that ole Tupperville pulled the same stunt not long ago with Ole Miss and now he's the Auburn Nations' savior.

On a sidenote, I feel confident in Saban after his press conference. It is clear that his heart is in college ball and that's now where he and Terry are :) Roll Tide!

Natalie

PS congrats on the National Championship! Geoux Tigers. I would be an LSU fan if not a bama fan.

[Alan Cross]

You can disagree with me, Natalie. It's okay. Also, being an LSU fan, I have a major bias here. It is just football, so it's really no big deal. As time goes on, I'm starting to understand better the situation Saban was in and am seeing it less harshly. Was it wrong? Yes. But, he probably didn't a lot of choices given the circumstance. No comment would have been better, but the media would have run with that too. Who knows, maybe he did change his mind. I'm starting to see him in a different light as time goes on and I hear more of his explanation.

Anyway, I'm happy with who we have and I hope Alabama does well, but not too well! And, I hope LSU wins EVERY game. Geaux Tigers!

[Stuart]

He did the same thing when he left LSU for Miami. There are Mich. State fans who still say he did the same thing when he left Lansing for Baton Rouge. Bottom line is that Saban is always scanning the horizon, and that won't change when he gets to Alabama.

But then...I also have sour grapes because I kinda hoped LSU would hire him back when his experiment with the Dolphins was over.

[Charles]

Alan,

Would you have posted this "information" about Saban on your blog if he had said what he said and went back to LSU?

[Alan Cross]

No, probably not. I would have been blinded by my loyalty to my school and I would have justified it. I readily admit my bias in these situations, because one of the appeals of college football is the emotion behind it. At the same time, I probably take this harder because, as an LSU fan, I feel a sense of betrayal. So, no, I readily admit my bias.

But, that's really the point that I'm trying to make. As Christians, we need to move beyond that. We need to recognize our biases when it comes to allegiances, whether it be sports teams, political parties, or nationalities. We tend to take on the attitude that things are right because they come from "our side," and wrong if they come from the other side. That is relativism at it's finest and I am guilty. This situation helped me to see that, because it happened with a coach that I fully supported when he was at LSU. To now turn on Saban and agree with the media was surprising to me. I explored where those attitudes came from, and I think that they came from a place of putting too much emphasis on a game. In our plastic culture, we take a legitimate desire for heroes and we apply them to people who toss a ball around. Then we build them up, and when the disappoint us, we find ways to tear them down.

I think that Saban was wrong in the way he handled things, and I say that objectively. But, I'm not mad at him or think less of him. He is human. He made a mistake and it's one he needs to live with. I think that everyone needs to move on and put this in perspective.

[Alan Cross]

And, just to show you that I'm fair:

Bobby Petrino, FORMER Louisville head coach earlier this fall:

Before the season, Petrino signed a 10-year, $25 million contract with Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich. Petrino had previously interviewed with Auburn, LSU, Notre Dame and the Oakland Raiders for other jobs, but announced in August that he would be at Louisville for the long haul.

"I can't tell you how happy I am with the commitment and the confidence that Tom Jurich has in me and the university has in me," Petrino said after signing the contract. "I also wanted to make sure that everyone understood, I know I've said it, that this is where my family wants to be. This is where I want to be. I want everyone to really believe it."

Today, Petrino signed a contract to coach the Atlanta Falcons. And, the beat goes on . . .

[Natalie]

Correction: I said "National Championship" must have been dreaming about a possible future for Alabama :) I meant to reference the Sugar Bowl win!