Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher publicly unloaded on Alabama coach Nick Saban after the latter accused the former of “buying” his recruiting class through a series of lucrative Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals.
While speaking at an event in Birmingham, Alabama, Wednesday night, Saban accused Texas A&M of buying “every player on their team.”
Nick Saban says 25 players on Alabama last season earned NIL revenue totaling $3 million and did it “the right way.” Saban speaking at a 50-day countdown event for the World Games in Birmingham.
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) May 19, 2022
Saban: We were 2nd in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness. We didn’t buy one player. But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it https://t.co/uwEcLQa2u4
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) May 19, 2022
On Thursday, Jimbo Fisher responded to Saban’s observations with an embittered rant against a fellow coach, the likes of which have scarcely ever been seen in public.
“First of all, it’s a shame we have to do this. It’s really despicable that somebody can say things about an organization or 17-year-old kids. You’re taking shots at 17-year-old kids and their family.
Saban added, “When you walk on water, I guess it doesn’t matter.”
“Some people think they’re God. Go dig into how God did his deal and you may find things out about a guy a lot of things you didn’t want to know. We build him up to be the czar of football, go dig into his past or anybody that’s ever coached with him.”
Fisher’s rant has to be seen to be believed.
Texas A&M HC Jimbo Fisher just fired back at Nick Saban for saying they "bought" recruits.
Fisher calls Saban a "narcissist" and says he won't take his call.
"We built him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past." pic.twitter.com/iG4UQ4BH3I
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 19, 2022
“We never bought anybody, no rules were broken, nothing was done wrong,” Fisher continued. “The way we do things and the ethics in which we do things and these families, it’s despicable that a reputable head coach can come out and say this when he doesn’t get his way. The narcissist in him doesn’t allow those things to happen and it’s ridiculous when he’s not on top. That parity in college football he’s been talking about, go talk to the coaches that have worked for him, you’ll find all the parity, go dig into where he’s been.”
When asked if he had spoken to Saban, Fisher said that he had not answered Saban’s calls and that their relationship was “done.”
Fisher also added this gem.
“I don’t cheat and I don’t lie. I learned that when I was kid, if you did, the old man slapped you upside the head. Maybe somebody should have slapped him.”
While Saban indeed came off as critical of A&M in his analysis of how they handled their 2022 recruiting class, he didn’t (at least directly) accuse them of violating any laws or breaking any rules, which makes Fisher’s emphatic denials of wrongdoing a little confusing. Ultimately, it seems more likely that Saban was issuing a warning to the rest of college football and the powers that be in college football: Put a structure in place to bring sanity and equity to how NIL deals are made, or I’ll start playing the game the way A&M is playing it and my program will be even more dominant than it is now.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.