Nick Saban on Former Players' Criticisms: "That really breaks my heart"
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama head coach Nick Saban might have been short on breath following his weekly appearance on the Hey Coach! radio program on Thursday night.
Following the overtime loss at LSU on Nov. 5, fans and critics alike let their thoughts be known about the Crimson Tide and its second loss of the season. Among the social media rabble were multiple former players, who expressed their disappointment in not just the team's losses, but also the apparent culture shift that the team had taken this season.
While most of the players' public comments unlikely made it to Saban, the Alabama coach revealed that multiple players reached out to him privately to discuss the team. During his opening segment, Saban made time to address his feelings on former players expressing their critical thoughts.
"You know, when former players come back to me it hurts my heart," Saban said. "And I told the players this, so I'm not speaking out of school — that anybody that's ever played here in this culture and on this team would think that anybody on this team is not playing to that culture and to that standard, that really breaks my heart because I'm responsible for that. And I want all the players to feel the responsibility that goes with that in terms of who we are at Alabama, how we play, what we do and how we do things, so we're working on it."
Following Alabama's loss at LSU, the Crimson Tide rebounded with a gritty 30-24 win at Ole Miss. While the offense struggled in the first half, Alabama bounced back after a 17-7 deficit with solid play on both sides of the ball.
Anxiety and pressure from outside influences has been a topic that Saban has harped on multiple times this season, dating back to not too long after the Crimson Tide's close win at Texas. Social media and other distractions are what Saban has frequently cited as a detriment to Alabama's culture, leading to a fall in the team's standard of play.
While Saban didn't mention the players by name who reached out to him in his opening, he did specify one player who visited with him during his final segment of the show.
"I think the big thing that is important for our team right now is that we recapture the culture of what this team has always been," Saban said. "How we've always played for years here, the kind of toughness we play with, the kind of discipline that we play with, the way we compete.
"Bo Scarbrough was here today and he put his finger on the table and said 'You know, when we played here we were making sure that the other team when the game was over would say 'We never want to play them again.'' These guys remember everything that you ever taught 'em. That's the kind of culture that we want to try to recreate and I think that's something that got started a little bit last week, but it's something that we've tried to build all year long."
Alabama still has two games to play in the regular season, with the first being this Saturday against Austin Peay (11 a.m. CT, ESPN+/SEC Network+). Following the Crimson Tide's game against the Governors, the Iron Bowl and Auburn will close out the first 12 games before Alabama waits for its bowl game announcement.
The Crimson Tide potentially seeing a culture shift in Oxford, Miss. is a good sign of growth in the home stretch. It might be too little, too late for Alabama this season regarding playoff hopes, but its a sign of positive momentum for the future.
Saban believes that the Ole Miss win can be made into a turning point, but it's up to his coaches and players to see the complete transformation through.
"We started the season that way, we kinda lost it, hopefully we can regain it and start rebuilding that for the future and the way we play," Saban said. "I don't care who we're playing against."
See also:
Nick Saban Calls Eli Ricks, Jahmyr Gibbs Day-to-Day, Praises Pete Golding
Alabama LB Kendrick Blackshire Out with Wrist Injury
How To Watch: No. 8 Alabama vs. Austin Peay
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