“Everybody was killing the guy”: Nick Saban once defended Panthers star Muhsin Muhammad for getting “in trouble” during college days

Apart from being a splendid coach, retired seven-time national champ Nick Saban also believed in helping young collegiate football stars navigate tough times. One of the most well-known cases occurred during his stint as the Michigan State Spartans coach.

Former NFL star Muhsin Muhammad played under Nick Saban at Michigan State from 1991 to 1995. In 1993, Muhammad found himself in trouble after police recovered a loaded .38 caliber gun in the car. While the ex-NFL star said it was for hunting squirrels, the act violated his previous probation for marijuana possession. This led to Muhammad being sentenced to 90 days in prison.

During a press conference in Alabama in 2014, Nick Saban talked about the importance of second chances in life while giving Muhammad's example. He discussed how, despite the majority of people believing that Muhammad should be removed from the team, Saban didn't give up on him, and he went on to build a successful life for himself in the end.

"There's always a lot of criticism out there when somebody does something wrong. Everybody wants to know how you're gonna punish the guy," Saban said. "When I was over there, Muhsin Muhammad, who played 15 years with the Carolina Panthers, played for me in Michigan State.

"Everybody in the school, every newspaper guy, everybody was killing the guy because he got in trouble and said there's no way he should be on our team. I didn't kick him off the team. I suspended him, I made him do stuff. He graduated from Michigan State.

"He played 15 years in the league, he's the president of a company now, and he has seven children. His oldest daughter goes to Princeton. So who was right? I feel strong about this now, really strong."

Muhsin Muhammad had a great season in 1995 under Nick Saban, putting up 867 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He was selected as the 43rd overall pick by the Carolina Panthers during the 1996 NFL draft.

---

Muhsin Muhammad is grateful to Nick Saban for giving him a second opportunity

Muhammad established a successful NFL career during his 15-season stint in the NFL. And he does not hold back when expressing his gratitude to Nick Saban for vesting his faith in him and giving him a second chance to right his wrongs.

"It was early on in his (Saban's) career and there was a lot of controversy surrounding the decision that he made. He stood up to that and defended it. It worked itself out," Muhammad said. "My case was maybe one of the first dilemmas, 'Do I succumb to the scrutiny because I am afraid of the backlash? Or do I stick to my principles and give a guy another chance?'

"He evaluated my character and thought I was deserving of a second opportunity. I'm grateful for that, and Nick is probably grateful too I didn't make him look bad."

During his coaching career, Nick Saban arguably helped a lot of talented young players walk on the right path. This makes him one of the most admired coaches in the world of college football.