Nick Saban has some issues with telling the truth. After denying he would leave the Dolphins for the University of Alabama, Saban did just that and, now, he's in some trouble after reports surfaced that he had improper contacts with recruits in the Miami area. Not that kind of improper, he just spoke with high school players when he was limited to evaluating them and an "exchange of greetings" by NCAA rules.
Miami Krop linebacker Etienne Sabino told The Miami Herald that Saban talked with him about defensive schemes and told him he's ''the big physical type of linebacker'' Bama needs.
Saban's conversations with Miami Northwestern High juniors Marcus Fortson and Brandon Washington also could be perceived as more than a ``greeting.''
As reported in Sunday's Herald, Washington, a UM oral commitment, said Saban asked him if ''my heart was in Miami.'' Washington said he answered no. He said there's a good chance he will sign with UM but wants to visit other campuses.
Washington later told canesport.com that Saban ``was talking to me about different things, about coming to the summer camps, to come on an unofficial visit, see how things are in Alabama. He said I'm a great player.''
Unless the players are lying it certainly sounds like Saban gave them more than just a wink and a nod. Saban addressed the rumors at the SEC spring meetings but his comments stopped short of being a forceful denial.
"You really can't prove what you didn't do," Saban said Tuesday at the SEC spring meetings, where he addressed the topic for the first time.
"We respect the rules and certainly have always respected the rules and will continue to do that. And I think it's funny that it came from Miami."
When asked if the reports were inaccurate, Saban responded: "I said I think it's funny it came from Miami."
Respecting and following the rules, it goes without saying, are very different things. It should also go without saying at this point that believing anything Saban says is a risk not worth taking.
Comments