War on Saban continues; Bama plans report

T he Miami war against Nick Saban continued this week with the media’s allegations of inappropriate contact between Saban and recruits at two Miami-area high schools.

Who is shocked that Miami area press would savage Saban again? After all these are the same upstanding models of professionalism who released confidential off-the-record comments in a spiteful effort to injure the former Dolphin coach.

But is there more here? Who helps feed the anti-Saban fires?

Don Shula continues to press his hatred of Saban and Alabama to the Florida press.

Every time Saban’s name dies down in the Florida or national press, up pops Don with a new round of attacks.

These new allegations against Saban hit the papers, and look who pops into the Orlando Sentinel just a few days later. Yes, Don.

Shula’s anti-Alabama comments were excusable at first. After all, what father wouldn’t be miffed at the business that fired his son.

But Don has taken it to an extreme. He uses every media interview to bash Alabama. And the Florida media loves it.

We’ve said many times the Florida media has violated almost every precept of journalistic ethics in its coverage of Saban. And the newspapers have not held their reporters accountable. When a Gannett sports editor used an Internet hoax in a column, the Louisiana newspaper fired the sports editor. The paper terminated the writer due to sloppiness in his work. However, Florida newspapers have not seriously disciplined their writers for spiteful and malicious acts against Saban—releasing a tape of off-the-record comments seriously undermines everything for which a journalist stands.

BAMA PLANS RESPONSE

Alabama plans a response to alleged NCAA violations by filing a report with the SEC, according to the Mobile Press-Register.

No one from Alabama is commenting on the matter publicly. But let’s see how long it takes for the traditional leaks to start.

AUBURN SIGNEE GRADES CHANGED

According to the Press-Register, serious errors were contained on the transcripts of two Mobile area high school students, who just happened to sign with Auburn.


“On a first blush, it looks like either the first transcripts were really wrong” or the grades were changed for some other reason,” said Mobile County School Superintendent Harold Dodge, according to the Mobile newspaper.

It is believed the grade changes made the athletes eligible to play football, according to the Press-Register.