The three-year marriage of Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin ended (somewhat) amicably months ago, but it’s still capable of producing some headlines.
While wildly successful on the field, the marriage was also notable for what some would call sideline acrimony between the Alabama head coach and his offensive coordinator. Or, as Saban famously put it after one such dustup, “There were no arguments. Those are called ass-chewings.”
Fast-forward to today, and Kiffin has moved on as the head coach at Florida Atlantic. During an interview on SiriusXM radio earlier today, Kiffin seemed to take a subtle jab at his former boss when he was asked if he’d publicly treat his assistants the same way he was treated by Saban.
“No, that’s not really how I do it. [Former Alabama quarterback] Greg [McElroy] knows about those,” Kiffin, referring to one of the show’s hosts, said by way of al.com. “Those things come up, and everybody has different ways of dealing with them. It’s just not really how I do it. I’m not really big on humiliating assistant coaches in front of everybody. I write down notes. In the staff meeting, I explain what we want to get done.”
Saban has won five national championships, including four the last eight years. Kiffin is 35-21 as a college football head coach.