Just A Minute: Kudos to Greg Byrne For Making the "Rights" Choice

The big story in Tuscaloosa this week was obviously Nick Saban getting another contract extension, as athletic director Greg Byrne has upheld his promise to keep him as the highest paid coach in college football for as long as he wants to be at Alabama.

Saban's continuing status, along with things like the new basketball arena being on target to be built, are why Byrne also got an extension, giving him a five percent raise and keeping him under contract into 2029.

But there's something else that the athletic director recently did that he should be commended for, and has definitely fallen under the radar of nearly every Crimson Tide fan.

It had to do with his recent coaching hires.

On the 50th anniversary of Title IX, women's rights are a hot topic, and regardless of where you may be politically it's a discussion/debate that isn't about to wane.

Specifically, Title IX was part of the 1972 Education Amendments to Federal civil rights law, and prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.

That ideal and promotion of equality should permeate through all levels of education and athletics, and we continue to see progress — albeit slowly.

Just like women continue to make gains in the coaching world in general, it isn't lost on volleyball's Rashinda Reed that she's the first female black head coach at Alabama.

"I'm humbled for the opportunity to coach in the Southeastern Conference, one of the most respected conferences in the history of NCAA Division I sports," she said in a statement after being hired.

But there was another aspect to Reed's addition to the Crimson Tide coaching ranks, one that with another school or athletic director could have cost her the opportunity.

Reed was pregnant.

She'd have had to hire a staff, set up the parameters of the program and how she wanted things done, deal with transfers, meet with boosters, go through spring practices, recruit and summer workouts, plus everything in her personal land family life, all while expecting.

Plus then she'd have the baby right around the time fall practices started.

Byrne still hired her.

In the words of someone closely associated with Alabama athletics, "Not a lot of athletic directors would have done that," and unfortunately that person was correct.

It's the kind of thinking that often gets overlooked and needs to change. If it were a male coach going through the same thing, with his wife due to have the baby, no one would have given it a second thought.

Byrne apparently didn't, and for that he should be praised.

It also ties in with his hiring approach. Although Byrne keeps things very close to the vest when it comes to coaching searches, once he zeros in on a top candidate he goes all out. That's how he got basketball coach Nate Oats to uproot and leave Buffalo, plus others.

Part of his thinking is that going "all in" on someone should be a two-way thing.

But Byrne didn't just hire one coach who was expecting this offseason, he hired two.

Gymnastics coach Ashley Johnston and her husband are expecting their second child this fall, right around the time the Crimson Tide will officially open practices for the 2023 season.

Here's how much it apparently factored in her being hired to come back to her alma mater, where she immediately said "I'm home:" Not at all.

That's the way it should be, leaving us to only say congratulations to both coaching families.

Added a new little addition to the Bama Family. We are so smitten. Welcome Lucas Patrick Reed-Halligan. #RollTide 🐘💪🏾🔥 pic.twitter.com/GpPgDcjREG
— Rashinda Reed (@Coachrjreed) August 1, 2022

Christopher Walsh's commentary Just a Minute appears every week on BamaCentral.