In light of Seattle’s year and the Buc’s collapse during the final weeks of the season, Pro Football Talk mentions Saban’s exit from the Miami Dolphins: “Kiffin is saying that maybe Nick Saban had it right. And maybe, in hindsight, Saban did. Maybe the best way to prevent a potential distraction for a coach’s current team from becoming a complete and total distraction is to conceal the truth.”

Of course Saban did the right thing for his team. Was it the right thing for Saban? No. His life would have been easier if he’d said, “Forget the NFL.” However, Saban was more committed to his team and finishing the job at hand. He is obsessive that way.

Is a lie ever the right thing? I don’t know. But I can think of plenty of times I’ve told people I enjoyed a horrible cup of coffee—was Saban’s lie worse than that?

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7 thoughts on “Reconsidering Saban’s NFL exit”

  1. Way worse. How can you compare the two. “No Comment” would suffice if you dont want to lie.

  2. Ballplay, ‘No Comment’ is like saying that there is something to it and fuels speculation anyway. It is really a no win situation no matter what you say or do if you really want to change jobs. I am not defending Saban for lying, but he was in a position where the Miami media was going to roast him no matter what happened.

  3. Exactly. so why lie ? They roasted him before during and after. Really bad after. Why? because he lied.

    An ” I dont want to talk about that, its a distraction”. Or the usual bull is wayyyy better than “I most asuureadly WILL NOT be the next coach at Alabama, I dont know how many times I have to tell yall that”…….

    I know “Pine Box”……..And all. But a lie is a lie.

  4. You make my point. If he tells everyone before the season is over that he is leaving, he is called a liar then to, because he didn’t honor the contract. His players quit on him, the media storm will be just as bad, but for a few weeks longer. No way he can win in that situation. But they were already on him pretty bad in Miami. I think I would have bailed on them too.

    But I really do believe he didn’t know he would or planned on becoming the coach at Alabama until the season was over. I think he knew he wanted out, but he didn’t consider the Alabama offer until the season was over. Looking at how focused and intense that he has been since coming to Bama, I can believe that. But you believe what you want, but every coach in America has lied at some point. Auburn folks like yourself and the LSU people, along with the Miami people are really the only ones to have such an issue with it, so I know that Bama got the right coach this time.

  5. Contracts are a financial agreement not a moral agreement. They have buyouts and stipulations for that very fact. But a lie is a lie. Its morally wrong. Im not saying I wouldnt have done the same. I havent walked in Sabans shoes. His 500.00 Italian leather shoes.

  6. Chizik lied to the Iowa St. players before he left too. Franchione did it. Tubberville lied and said he was going to stay and fix things, two days later he was ‘burn out’. They all do it. It doesn’t make it right, but the media is partially to blame for a lot of it. It is just one of the unpleasant parts of how the business is today. But to single out Saban as the big liar when the guy he was working for told him to go is just stupid. It got hyped up more than it should because he is a great coach. If he wasn’t any good, the Miami people would have been glad he left. LSU and Auburn fans wouldn’t be in such an uproar over Saban if he sucked.

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