In what was otherwise a typical morning at the SEC Football Media Days, one seemingly inane Nick Saban comment has continued to echo throughout the football world even 24 hours later.
The Alabama head coach has never been one to shy away from voicing his opinion on issues that go well beyond the Crimson Tide football field. He even noted Wednesday that he does not mind using his high profile platform to opine on a larger scale as long as it still has to do with football. For instance, Wednesday he clearly was ill-at-ease when asked about the Alabama state government taking down the Confederate flag from the state capitol, but was fine pontificating on the topic of how the NFL draft and its processes could have had a negative impact on his team last year. Typically, social media sites went crazy soon thereafter.
Saban intimated that the NFL schedule, as it pertains to potential recruits, could have played a roll in his team losing to Ohio State in the first ever college football playoffs.
As it stands now, any college player who wants to consider the notion of entering his name into the NFL pool can submit paperwork to the league, requesting feedback on his game and potential draft position. League and team executives look over game film of the player, check out his stats and compile a report, including anonymous insights from various pro general managers, as to the possible future in the league for that player. He can then use that feedback to help determine whether or not he wants to leave college early and make the binding commitment to the NFL draft.
Saban’s specific problem with the process is in the timing. The deadline to commit to the NFL draft is January 15. In order to give the prospects time to ponder their decision, the NFL returns the feedback report one month earlier, on December 15th. That is also when dozens of teams are preparing for postseason bowl games, or in the case of Alabama last year, the college football playoffs. Saban said Wednesday that he thought those reports echoed too deep into the mental preparation of his players going into the playoffs. He said he felt like some players didn’t go full speed at practice, worrying about getting hurt and dropping their draft value.
He suggested that since the NFL draft isn’t until April, and the combine for draft prospects to work out in front of pro coaches isn’t until March, the league could push back the commitment deadline a week and move the feedback report submission back until after the college postseason is over.
Social media lit up after the press conference with many saying Saban was making excuses for losing to Ohio State in the semi-finals. Overnight, one of his former college players, Plaxico Burress, joined in the chorus, saying Saban has no business tinkering with the professional future of his players. Burress played for Saban at Michigan State from 1996-1998. He pointed out that Saban left Michigan State for the financial windfall of the LSU head coaching job right after the 1999 regular season ended. Burress tweeted, “N. Saban looked his players in the face at the Duf, said he wasn’t leavin, ‘I’m committed to the program’ and was gone the next day. Tru story.” Burress added in another tweet, “Now Nick Saban players are being distracted by the NFL and chasing a dream, haha tell your story Nick. LSU showed you $$$, you was GONE! Ha.”
Now Nick Saban players are being distracted by the NFL and chasing a dream, haha tell your story Nick. LSU showed you $$, you was GONE! Ha
— Plaxico Burress (@plaxicoburress) July 15, 2015
Saban has long drawn criticism for the way he has left jobs. It was widely reported in 1999 that he told his Michigan State players that he would not be leaving for another job, and then within days, accepted the LSU offer, not staying around long enough to coach the Spartans in their Citrus Bowl game. After five seasons in Baton Rouge, Saban chose to leave for the NFL and the Miami Dolphins head coaching job, and he made the announcement days before LSU was to play in a New Year’s Day bowl game. He only lasted two seasons in Miami before moving on to take over at Alabama, after weeks of public denials that he was even interested in the Crimson Tide job. The upcoming season will be his ninth in Tuscaloosa.
Saban did admit Wednesday that he could have done a better job of keeping his players focused on the task at hand in getting ready for the playoffs. Still, he said, it can be tough when the players are distracted by a potential NFL windfall.
None of the other coaches at the SEC Media Days were asked about the issue, and no coach of the other teams who made the playoffs, Florida State, Oregon and Ohio State, has publically complained about the schedule or the process.
