Najee Harris Says He Felt ‘Belittled’ by Nick Saban in 2020

Steelers running back Najee Harris previously opened up about his clashing with Alabama football coach Nick Saban during the four seasons he played there.

On this week’s episode of The Pivot Podcast, the 24-year-old revealed another part of the story that he had never mentioned before. At one point during the 2020 season, Harris briefly left the program due to an incident he had with Saban.

“It was COVID year, and I came back to school,” Harris said. “It was our last incident. Imagine all four years, we kind of like, bumped heads, in a good way. Then I guess COVID year, last incident happened and I left school. I’m like, ‘Man, I’m not messing with y’all. I’m gone.’ So I left school for like two weeks. Yeah, people didn’t know that. I left school for like two weeks.”

The Pro Bowler didn’t specify when he left the program, but it’s likely that his absence was before the football season because he played in all 13 games that year, helping the team to a national championship title.

Harris went into more detail about what happened to cause him to leave the program for the two weeks that year.

“[Saban] said something to me, blah, blah, blah and I’m like, ‘Motherf----- who are you talking to like that?’” Harris said. “I was kind of looking, like, ‘Who the f--- you think you’re talking to like that?’ I was like, ‘Look at, Coach, coach me, man. You can coach me. But don’t ever think you’re more than a coach to me. Don’t try to, like, belittle me.’ I felt belittled.”

The running back said he thinks his coach was surprised to hear him talk back to him after being yelled at on the field.

The longtime Alabama coach is known for his intense coaching style. Even Harris admitted that it’s “just how he is.”

Harris previously discussed his rocky relationship with Saban in an interview with AL.com in 2021, but added that the two now have a “really, really special relationship.” 

Despite their conflicting personalities, Harris still became the all-time Alabama leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns during his tenure there.

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