Posted on Tue, Jan. 02, 2007
Note to Saban: It's your fault rumors persisted
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=27735@wfor.dayport.com
By GREG COTE
gcote@MiamiHerald.com
Nick Saban is gone. Taking his Panama hat to Tuscaloosa. Taking on the ghost of Bear Bryant. Taking $40 million from the University of Alabama. Taking all of his publicly professed commitment to Miami and tossing it into the Tide.
These were the impressions Miami's coach-for-now created and invited Monday with a stunning evasiveness that inflamed all of the speculation, instead of a simple declarative that could have ended it for good. His season-ending news conference at Dolphins headquarters worked like a seminar we'd call, How Not to Kill a Rumor. If this was an exercise in public relations, Nick could only have mishandled it more spectacularly by having O.J. Simpson introduce him and vouch for his truthfulness.
Last week, Saban said flatly, ``I'm not going to be the Alabama coach.''
On Monday, the scurrilous, persistent Tide came at Nick with a mountain of money. With an official offer.
Suddenly, Nick is not saying anything flatly anymore.
Suddenly, he is dodging and tap dancing, taking great umbrage at reporters who would dare do their job by even asking the question.
Dear Nick: Here is what you could have said Monday. You could have said, ``I am flattered by Alabama's interest in me, but it is not mutual. I have instructed my agent to decline all overtures or offers. I am not leaving the Dolphins. Period.''
Instead, you said anything but.
You might also have been forthright by admitting, ``While I have no plans to leave Miami, I owe it to my family to at least consider an offer so lucrative relative to financial stability. Can you blame me?''
Instead, you put yourself squarely in between Monday by implying you were committed to Miami but sidestepping several chances to make that clear.
SABAN AT FAULT
So don't you dare get all offended by the assumptions and doubts you created.
Saban might yet end up staying, of course, and Dolfans should hope so, because Alabama's ardor accurately reflects a quality coach, despite the unconvincing 15-17 record in his first two pro seasons. He might stay for the personal challenge to succeed in the NFL. He might stay because he feels loyalty or thinks it's right. He might stay because owner Wayne Huizenga convince$ $aban to $tay.
Meantime, the coach cannot blame the media or fans for sincerely wondering whether he will. That's on him.
He began Monday's news conference with a futile preemptive strike by saying this would be about the Dolphins only, ''not about any individual whatever is out there.'' How cute of Nick to believe he could manage the news so neatly. It was a little like President Bush advising assembled White House reporters he would prefer no questions on Iraq, thank you.
Came a question asking Saban directly if he expected to be coach here next year.
''I'm not talking about any of that stuff,'' he huffed. ``And I'd appreciate the courtesy of it not being asked.''
(Courtesy? How about the courtesy of answering a a fair question fairly? How about the courtesy of fulfilling the three remaining years on your contract?)
Came another question persisting whether Saban was willing to entertain an offer from Alabama.
Harvey Greene, the Dolphins' vice president in charge of being a buffer between the media and coach, interrupted the question by admonishing the reporter to not ''hijack'' the news conference.
Came another question, later, asking Saban when he thought it would be appropriate to ask about Alabama's interest.
''You know, I'm not sure,'' he said. ``When is it appropriate for me to have a chance to get home to my wife and talk to her?''
Came an observation that Saban was giving an impression he might consider Alabama's overtures.
''Why would I give you that impression?'' he said. ``That's your impression.''
Came a question noting a report indicating Saban would meet with Alabama officials this week.
SUDDEN ENDING
''I don't know about that,'' he said -- after which the contentious, uncomfortably entertaining news conference quickly was ended.
At one point, Saban had said: ``Seems like something's missing in life.''
He meant the suddenness of a season ending and there being no more practices or games.
But it seems like there's something missing in this Alabama story, too.
A straightforward coach.
Note to Saban: It's your fault rumors persisted
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=27735@wfor.dayport.com
By GREG COTE
gcote@MiamiHerald.com
Nick Saban is gone. Taking his Panama hat to Tuscaloosa. Taking on the ghost of Bear Bryant. Taking $40 million from the University of Alabama. Taking all of his publicly professed commitment to Miami and tossing it into the Tide.
These were the impressions Miami's coach-for-now created and invited Monday with a stunning evasiveness that inflamed all of the speculation, instead of a simple declarative that could have ended it for good. His season-ending news conference at Dolphins headquarters worked like a seminar we'd call, How Not to Kill a Rumor. If this was an exercise in public relations, Nick could only have mishandled it more spectacularly by having O.J. Simpson introduce him and vouch for his truthfulness.
Last week, Saban said flatly, ``I'm not going to be the Alabama coach.''
On Monday, the scurrilous, persistent Tide came at Nick with a mountain of money. With an official offer.
Suddenly, Nick is not saying anything flatly anymore.
Suddenly, he is dodging and tap dancing, taking great umbrage at reporters who would dare do their job by even asking the question.
Dear Nick: Here is what you could have said Monday. You could have said, ``I am flattered by Alabama's interest in me, but it is not mutual. I have instructed my agent to decline all overtures or offers. I am not leaving the Dolphins. Period.''
Instead, you said anything but.
You might also have been forthright by admitting, ``While I have no plans to leave Miami, I owe it to my family to at least consider an offer so lucrative relative to financial stability. Can you blame me?''
Instead, you put yourself squarely in between Monday by implying you were committed to Miami but sidestepping several chances to make that clear.
SABAN AT FAULT
So don't you dare get all offended by the assumptions and doubts you created.
Saban might yet end up staying, of course, and Dolfans should hope so, because Alabama's ardor accurately reflects a quality coach, despite the unconvincing 15-17 record in his first two pro seasons. He might stay for the personal challenge to succeed in the NFL. He might stay because he feels loyalty or thinks it's right. He might stay because owner Wayne Huizenga convince$ $aban to $tay.
Meantime, the coach cannot blame the media or fans for sincerely wondering whether he will. That's on him.
He began Monday's news conference with a futile preemptive strike by saying this would be about the Dolphins only, ''not about any individual whatever is out there.'' How cute of Nick to believe he could manage the news so neatly. It was a little like President Bush advising assembled White House reporters he would prefer no questions on Iraq, thank you.
Came a question asking Saban directly if he expected to be coach here next year.
''I'm not talking about any of that stuff,'' he huffed. ``And I'd appreciate the courtesy of it not being asked.''
(Courtesy? How about the courtesy of answering a a fair question fairly? How about the courtesy of fulfilling the three remaining years on your contract?)
Came another question persisting whether Saban was willing to entertain an offer from Alabama.
Harvey Greene, the Dolphins' vice president in charge of being a buffer between the media and coach, interrupted the question by admonishing the reporter to not ''hijack'' the news conference.
Came another question, later, asking Saban when he thought it would be appropriate to ask about Alabama's interest.
''You know, I'm not sure,'' he said. ``When is it appropriate for me to have a chance to get home to my wife and talk to her?''
Came an observation that Saban was giving an impression he might consider Alabama's overtures.
''Why would I give you that impression?'' he said. ``That's your impression.''
Came a question noting a report indicating Saban would meet with Alabama officials this week.
SUDDEN ENDING
''I don't know about that,'' he said -- after which the contentious, uncomfortably entertaining news conference quickly was ended.
At one point, Saban had said: ``Seems like something's missing in life.''
He meant the suddenness of a season ending and there being no more practices or games.
But it seems like there's something missing in this Alabama story, too.
A straightforward coach.
:BigA:
