- Joined
- Dec 22, 2011
- Messages
- 43,917
View attachment 186734
For those who follow Gator Tears. This is probably what the gaytor coaches understanding of the situation here with Saban is and what triggered it fwiw.
@TheOriginalCane
If you listen to the full 8 minute response that Saban gave, it becomes obvious that the Mitchell situation is a part of it.
During the first six minutes (before he started lying about aTm and Jackson State and Miami in his final 2 minutes), he was talking about kids who have "grown up in Alabama" now asking for money to go to Alabama. This is one aspect of the "new reality" that has him shook, HOW DARE KIDS grow up in Alabama, surrounded by Alabama merch and fans, and then expect Alabama to pay them to go to Alabama?
Of course, Saban has had no problems going into SoFla for years, and stealing kids who "grew up near Miami and rooted for Miami". No, it's only a BAD thing when Alabama kids expect Alabama to pay them the same as they do for every out-of-state imported/purchased recruit.
Again, these are the existential threats that Saban described to his Birmingham boosters, as he asked for more money to compete for paying players:
1. Kids who grew up in Alabama but will go to schools other than Alabama unless Alabama pays them
2. Schools in states with an economic and commercial base much larger than Alabama will LEGALLY "buy" the players that Alabama once bought illegally
3. Lesser schools (one of which has historically admitted students that Alabama barred until about 50 years ago) will pay to get players who should be "really good Division I" players, and those lesser schools should not be able to outspend Alabama for the players that Alabama once bought illegally...PLUS THEY WILL BRAG ABOUT IT...
4. Schools in states with more diversity (they're playin' bas-ket-ball, they're playin' bas-ket-ball) will LEGALLY buy the players that Alabama once bought illegally...PLUS AN ATTORNEY WILL EXPLAIN HOW HE DID IT...
That's not hyperbole or falsehoods, even if I phrased things in a humorous fashion. Those are the specific things that Saban mentioned in his 8 minute answer to a question from a booster regarding NIL.
---Saban criticized collectives even as he spoke of Alabama's collective
---Saban complained about the #1 HS recruit getting $1M (which everyone involved has denied) and an all-conference basketball TRANSFER getting $400K, even as he BRAGGED ABOUT Alabama having "about 20" football players who earned over $3 million in NIL in one year.
---Saban whined about Jackson State "bragging" about Hunter and John Ruiz "explaining" his deal with Nijel Pack, plus he seemed to be OBSESSED with articles in "the paper", even though nearly every report about aTm, Jackson State, and Miami have been anonymous, unsourced, and/or unconfirmed internet reports (with the exception of John Ruiz's tweet on Nijel Pack).
Listen to the tape. Everything I have described is true. Saban can spin things however he wants after the fact, but he was speaking to his boosters and he knew it was being filmed. The video was posted on the Alabama 247 site. Saban knew what he was saying, he knew who would hear it (live and/or on video), and he still chose to tell massive lies about aTm, Jackson State, and Miami.
Saban is scared. Not about his 2022 pre-season ranking, as Tusk is so worried about. But because Saban knows he is going to have to work 10x harder, when he wants to retire in a couple of years. Saban is also worried about the possibility that his last few years will result in a drop-off, and it becomes painfully obvious to the rest of the world that his success was heavily (but not totally) predicated on illicit payments to recruits. These are very real concerns for Saban.
Saban is shook.