Declining Impact on Players Led to Saban Retirment

Nick Saban spoke with his friend, and ESPN journalist, Chris Low about the factors leading up to his retirement. Part of the contributions? Modern-day NIL and attitude among players.

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"We weren't a very good team those first few weeks of the season, but it's a credit to those kids how far they came," Saban reportedly told Low. "I'm not sure I've had a team that improved more over the course of the season."

Low also reports that the postgame environment after the Rose Bowl loss to Michigan contributed, and so did the meetings with players once Alabama returned to Tuscaloosa.

"I want to be clear that wasn't the reason, but some of those events certainly contributed," Saban said to Low of his decision to retire. "I was really disappointed in the way that the players acted after the game. You gotta win with class. You gotta lose with class. We had our opportunities to win the game and we didn't do it, and then showing your ass and being frustrated and throwing helmets and doing that stuff ... that's not who we are and what we've promoted in our program."

Low reported that Saban believed Alabama would be "A hell of a team next year." However, "70 to 80 percent" of the players Saban talked to were asking about more money or guarantees of starting next season, or they were transferring.

"Our program here was always built on how much value can we create for your future and your personal development, academic success in graduating, and developing an NFL career on the field," Saban said. "So I'm saying to myself, 'Maybe this doesn't work anymore, that the goals and aspirations are just different and that it's all about how much money can I make as a college player?' I'm not saying that's bad. I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just saying that's never been what we were all about, and it's not why we had success through the years."

When you look at players who left versus players who stayed, Saban's comments begin to make sense.

Saban talked to Byrne following the 2022 season, the first time Alabama had missed the playoffs since 2019, and just the second time ever.

"Greg, this is getting more and more difficult on me," Saban told Byrne. "I'm not ready to do it now, but we're going to have to start evaluating this more on a year-to-year basis."

The strain of the 2023 season was arguably Saban's best coaching job, and it was a pretty good one to go out on.

Chris Low's entire story can be found here.