Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban had to deal with another kind of stress added ahead of the NFL Draft in Las Vegas and his son’s wedding. According to AL.com, Saban was involved in a “minor car accident” on Friday afternoon in Birmingham. No injuries or reports were filed, with AL.com noting it means neither party wanted to press further.
While Saban wasn’t at the draft, two Alabama stars were expected to be ushered into the NFL. Two were already chosen on night one, with Evan Neal and Jameson Williams being drafted by the New York Giants and Detroit Lions, respectively. Saban also had a hand in two of the Houston Texans’ choices later in the draft, with the team taking two players in the draft.
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Saban has been with Alabama for 15 years, though he initially denied having the job in an infamous end to his Miami Dolphins tenure. But since his only losing season in his NFL debut, Saban has been a winner for Alabama and has enjoyed several national championships since taking the job in 2007.
“Well, you know, I really like what I do,” Saban said about his nearly two decades in Alabama, via 247 Sports. “I’ve been a part of the team for a long time. It’s a lot of fun to be in a leadership position. And every year is a new challenge. You have a new team, it’s almost like taking a new job, actually, in terms of guys having new roles on the team, new people in the organization. So it’s always a challenge. I like the challenge. I know most of us and you’re like this to Stephen, I know you well, is we complain about the grind but we love the grind too. And the grind is what keeps us going. So that’s kind of how I feel about it and really enjoy doing it and look forward to next season being a tremendous challenge as well.”
Part of that longevity, according to former Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram, could be credited to his attitude in bringing prospects to the school. “When he was recruiting me, he came up, he sat at the kitchen table, and he was like, ‘If you come to Alabama, you have a chance to be a great player. If you don’t, it’s your own fault,’” Ingram told AL.com. “Most of the time in recruiting, it’s all these promises. They promise you this. They promise you that. Everybody’s going to wear your jersey. They promise you’re going to be a starter but there are no promises. That kind of stood out to me about Coach Saban. He didn’t make any promises.”
Ingram would go on to join the team, win a national title in 2009 and win the Heisman Trophy the same year. All things Saban said would come true, which shocked Ingram. “That man sat there in my living room, at my kitchen table in front of my mom, grandpa, and everyone in my family, and predicted what would happen…He must be psychic, I don’t know, but he believes in the process and we all bought into the process,” Ingram said.
