Paul Finebaum is not a fan of the conjecture emanating from Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, with his comments accusing Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher and Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders of buying recruits. The SEC Network host had a strongly worded criticism on ESPN's Get Up regarding the accusations.
Finebaum defined the situation as one that has 'gone nuclear' and described a Jimbo that was seething from Saban's remarks at a gathering of business leaders in the state:
"Jimbo Fisher declared war against Nick Saban. He flat out went to DEF CON ONE and said we're going nuclear and we can talk about this in the parlance of laughter and jabs, but that's not what I heard from Jimbo Fisher. He looked at Saban and said, 'You're a fraud. You're a liar...'"
According to Finebaum, Fisher reached uncharted territory when he talked poorly about Saban off the field:
"Let's peel back the curtain. I never wanted to work for you again for the record, Saban offered him the offensive coordinator position when he went to Alabama. Talked to other people who have worked for Saban. And what makes that so remarkable is that Saban is sacrosanct. He's the greatest coach of all time, his reputation off the field equals that. I've never heard anyone lay a glove on Nick Saban."
Fisher brought the battle to where the world could see, which to Finebaum is one of the most notable college football events in recent history:
"There are a number of people who've written books on saving, 'Yeah, maybe he's surly, maybe he berates coaches in private, but never anything like this in the public domain.' This was simply one of the most extraordinary moments in recent college football history yesterday."
Nick Saban does not like the NIL rule changes
Unprovoked in a room full of prominent financial figures in Alabama, Saban went after former assistant Jimbo Fisher (whose Aggies beat Bama in 2021), who may finally have the necessary pendulum swing via the recently implemented NIL rules to start winning SEC titles himself.
Given the history of Alabama players sporting new Dodge Chargers, Saban runs the risk of looking hypocritical since his program has taken a step back (from perfection, but still) since the NIL went into effect. If the Crimson Tide continue to cede the championship spotlight to others, there will likely be more comments of these nature from Saban.
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