Nick Saban is not exactly a warm and fuzzy character. He never has and he may never be. With Yahoo Sports dropping a report claiming former Alabama players received extra benefits in violation of NCAA rules, Saban addressed the media following practice as he usually does and he certainly was not happy.
Former Alabama offensive lineman D.J. Fluker and defensive end Luther Davis were mentioned in the Yahoo report and if the NCAA can confirm the details to be in violation of NCAA rules, the players could be ruled ineligible and put Alabama’s past two national championships in jeopardy. Saban attempted to deter questions about the report, getting testy with the media any time they brought the subject up instead of a more football-oriented question about one of the top games of the college football season, against Texas A&M.
Saban made a statement confirming the school had been made aware of the report prior to being published by Yahoo Sports, echoing the statement released earlier by Alabama athletics director Bill Battle. Saban then stood firm on not responding to any questions pertaining to the report but said the school was looking in to the details on their own. This did not stop a few reporters from bringing up the topic, even if doing so in a manner to work around the topic without hitting it head-on with Saban.
“I made a statement,” Saban said sternly. “Don’t ask me any more questions about this.”
He was asked again, but the press conference ended shortly after that. In a drop the mic moment, Saban wrapped up his press conference by staring at the media and saying, “Appreciate your interest in the game” before exiting stage left.