Nick Saban tells a kid who verballed to ‘Bama last February that his time hasn’t come yet, and that he’ll have to wait until 2013 to sign with the Tide. That damned new SEC hard-25 rule claims its first victim.
But here’s the most interesting part:
“Coach Saban said he wished he would’ve been able to tell me this in August instead of now. He said the only reason he can’t sign me is because he can’t sign 26 people. They can only sign 25 people. He said he was going to sign me with the next class. But he also said he would sign a piece of paper to show that they are keeping their word – they are going to sign it and they want me to sign it to make sure I know I still have my scholarship.” [Emphasis added.]
So this kid believes he’s going to get some sort of binding commitment from Alabama for a scholarship in a year’s time. I can’t wait to hear from the NCAA about that. (Not to mention every school in the SEC.)
I said most interesting, because that’s not the only eye-popping comment this kid made. Check this out:
“He said I’m going to stay in Georgia. They are going to find me a job. I’m going to work. I’m going to physical therapy at least seven days per week. I guess I will work, go to physical therapy and get strong … I will come in with the class of 2013. I’ll get there with the early group so I can do winter workouts and spring football.” [Emphasis added.]
Employment via Saban. That’s nice. Times are tough, after all. Perhaps he can arrange for transportation to get the kid to and from his job while he’s at it.
I suspect we’ll be hearing shortly about how this is all an unfortunate misunderstanding. But it’s reassuring to see that Saban continues to push the envelope. I’m sure a few of his peers are busy taking notes.
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UPDATE: Helluva catch by Andy Staples, straight from the NCAA manual.
13.2.3.3 After Completion of Senior Year. An institution may arrange for employment or employ any prospective student-athlete (regardless of athletics award winner status), provided the employment does not begin prior to the completion of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year in high school. (See Bylaw 13.12.1.5.1.)
I should have known Saban is one step ahead of things. Like I said, I bet there are coaches taking notes on this.
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UPDATE #2: Now, Justin Taylor is going to look at his options.
Get The Picture 
I wonder where the kids parents and coach are in this whole mess. Certainly they can see what is going on. I would bet you the SEC and NCAA do. I guess, we will get another one of these loop hole closing rules in effect, that the NCAA and SEC will come up with. I guess this one will be known as the “Saban Promises rule.” This is a sad commentary about the state of football, in the SEC these days. Winning at all cost and finding new ways to circumvent the present rules, one way or another, is ruining the conference, and giving fuel to the fire, of other conferences in college football, that want to see the SEC get burnt at the stake.
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I certainly don’t mean to excuse Saban and the Alabama staff, but my first thought when reading that was, “Wow, what a stupid, stupid kid.”
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I was thinking the same thing. The kid sounds like he is cool with the whole situation. Saban must have those hypnotic cobra eyes or something like that.
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You know, I think I’m in for blaming a grown-ass man for taking advantage of a kid whose dream was a Bama scholarship
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This. Thinking back to my childhood, I would have fallen for all kinds of scams if I didn’t at least have enough sense to talk to my parents about stuff. And if this kids parents don’t have enough sense, well, I blame the schools.
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I blame Bobo.
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+1 LOL
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Of course, as I made perfectly clear, I’m not suggesting that Saban *isn’t* to blame here. I’m just saying that, 14 years from now, when my own son is graduating from high school, I should hope that he’ll have more sense than this kid. Manipulation, like the tango, takes two.
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I would say in this case, it took more than two. Where were this kids parents or guardians, or even the H.S. coach on this one. This just stinks of violation on at least a couple of different levels.
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manipulation takes two?
Seriously?
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The manipulator and the manipulatee.
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If you mean two willing participants, TF,…then no. No it does not. There CAN be two informed participants willing to take certain risks. But then it’s not really manipulation. A coach can lie to a kid about his prospects and playing time and it would be reasonable for a family, or the kid, to believe a high profile coach. All the while the coach is thinking this kid is just insurance. Tough to blame the kid when you have Nick f’ing Saban come to your house and promise you you’re going to be a star. And some families don’t submit to the high bastion of news media today to see these stories on what a liar he is.
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I think what he is saying is that the kid has to be willing to ignore all the warning bells you and I see about this. Its one thing to be manipulated about playing time that doesn’t materialize. It’s another to wait a year and not go to school on the off chance someone will honor a scholarship offer next year when they wouldn’t this year. How does the phrase go… “fool me once, shame on you (saban), fool me twice, shame on me(Taylor). My guess is, the kid is just in denial.
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PT Barnum has met his master in Nick Saban.
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This ^
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How the hell is this legal? I don’t give a tinker’s damn how good a coach Saban is, this is shady, shady shit and I’m very glad Georgia doesn’t do this kind of underhanded crap.
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What’s illegal about it? It looks like an NCAA violation minefield, but from what I’m reading here it doesn’t look like any laws are being broken.
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How is everyone missing the part where the coaches can’t set the job up? The bylaws only states that the recruit is able to apply for a campus job… It’s very explicit that a coach can’t set it up.
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I’m sure the Senator meant to include this but the kid is recovering from knee surgery.
Also in his words, “I’m cool with it.”
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BD, do you really think Saban’s promised him a binding commitment for 2013 – something I don’t think the NCAA allows for – and a job to (pardon the expression) tide him over?
If not, does it really matter that he’s “cool with it”?
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In short, yes, I do.
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Wow, BD, those re-education camps Bama runs must be open to everyone.
Still, the view from the moral high ground (MHG) is always downhill.
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The glare from the crystal ball makes it hard for him to concentrate right now.
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Wow BD, looks like he’s now NOT “cool with it”. Weird when he has a moment to digest something as heartbreaking as what Saban just did to a teenager how he changed his position so quickly.
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AS PER ANDY STAPLES FROM SI:
CORRECTION: SCHOOLS MAY ARRANGE FOR EMPLOYMENT. So we learn something new every day.
13.2.3.3 After Completion of Senior Year. An institution may arrange for employment or employ any prospective student-athlete (regardless of athletics award winner status), provided the employment does not begin
prior to the completion of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year in high school. (See Bylaw 13.12.1.5.1.)
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of course I wonder if its illegal to offer a job during recuiting? probably so. doesn’t seem right.
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never-mind, just saw your update Senator.
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Said surgery happened in August and forced him to miss his entire SR season, though St. Nick just decided to tell the kid he doesn’t have a scholly … Then Saban has the cajones to tell the kid, ” … he wished he would’ve been able to tell me this in August instead of now.” … Roll Tide Indeed
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BD,
Do you know how many times Richt has told a kid who had surgery that a commitment is a two way street? He took Caleb King after he had an awful knee injury. He told Aaron Murray that he had a scholly no matter what on the day after he was severely injured. At that time, no one knew how bad the leg was damaged.
Sorry, but this is an SEC West thang…and of course South Carolina. The rest of us simply don’t understand.
The sad thing is, is that Bama and Saban are good and don’t need to resort to this type of stuff. Really sad and should be embarrassing.
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Plus Austin Long, plus Brent Benedict… Richt always keeps his end of the bargain
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Maybe they’re good because they resort to this type of stuff. If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.
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Then he could red-shirt and recover under the close supervision of trainers at Bama for his freshman year instead of having Saban secure employment for him while he waits to enroll next year (or get turned down again).
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First off, let’s deal with Saban getting him a job. That’s not happening. It’s not legal, Saban knows it, and there’s no way in hell he promised it. The kid is confused or excuse-making for Saban, but there’s just no way he took that kid in his office and straight up promised to violate NCAA rules. Say what you will about Saban, but the only blemish on his NCAA record was his first year at Alabama with textbook BS that started on the track team and with the last coach. He does not run afoul there.
Second, it’s RIDICULOUS for a kid to enroll and redshirt when he could save that redshirt for later in his career. Why would he not defer enrollment, get well, and have his 5 years to play 4 start next year (for when the seemingly inevitable second knee surgery comes).
I’m not comfortable with Saban breaking these sorts of promises, but this is a shade of gray for sure. The knee injury is obviously a huge factor – in the AJC article he says he hasn’t heard from another school since it happened.
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He hadn’t heard from the other schools because he made it clear to them when they first started recruiting him, that he was solid to Alabama. With the way recruiting is today, and unless the kid is the next Mr. Universe of football, coaches do not have the time to pursue these kids all that much.
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Did it ever occur to any of you folks that this whole darn thing; Sabin, boy,Coaches & everything else is just a rumored fabricated mess from start to this period in time? I am just going to wait and see what comes of this, besides the NCAA is always got to have something to talk about; but have you not ever heard of that saying; “The more you stir a pile of s**t, the worse it stinks”? Well get ready to plug your nose someway for this one may be just starting to stink!! ugh!! phew?#@%; smells like ‘Old Rank Cabbage,’ Now!!
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I’m pretty sure Georgia has a had a few recruits that did just that, came in with an injury and were redshirted their freshman year. I believe there were 1-2 OLs that did it: Benedict & DeBell? And I think an LB or 2: Morrant, maybe?
Second, as stated in the update, both of us were wrong, as the schools can find employment for the students under certain circumstances.
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Actually, unless I read it wrong, the AJC article says he hadn’t heard from another school since he committed to Bama, not since the injury happened.
I also think it makes WAY MORE sense for him to enroll in school, with the benefit of the school’s staff of trainers and physicians (which, according to him, would drastically cut his recovery time), than to stay at home and do the rehab himself. He missed his senior year with an injury. If he didn’t play football for two years, there’s no way he wouldn’t have to redshirt his first year anyway…
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OK, BD… your comments on this blog are usually sane and reasonable, but you really need to rethink this latest comment of yours. Ask yourself (honestly, of course) what your reaction would be if Chizik/Auburn did this to a recruit and then get back to me.
Until then, I’ll give you a pass based on your reasonable comments in the past. 🙂
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Thanks 🙂
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What?!? You’re not getting off that easy. Come on…fess up. What would you say if Chizik had done the exact same thing to a recruit?
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First off, it’s an AJC article and I’m just not gonna get too excited about it. Second, Saban has a good history of handling these things – not exactly like Spurrier and Miles, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
As for Chizik, he’s part of a different sort of environment at Auburn. He spent the better part of last year dealing with the Newton affair – so no, I won’t give him the benefit of the doubt. 🙂
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Punt!
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Saban has a good history of handling these things???!!! I think the exact opposite. Most of these other coaches got called out on this sort of practice in the media, but at least they were –sort of– more honest with the kids up front. It makes the news but at least they aren’t being medically redshirted and then quietly shown the door to a community college so they can’t play for your competition. I’m glad it’s getting harder for Saban to play his numbers games.
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In the interview, the kid said he believed he could play football in the fall based on his health now (he is running). I think the injury is smoke and mirrors. Saban just signed more capable players and this guy, who signed one year ago, is the odd man out.
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Yeah, this half-assed contract doesn’t sound legal (NCAA legal that is), otherwise a school could provide such a ‘contract’ to H.S. juniors or seniors at any time and both they and the kid would be legally (tort legal) bound. I am pretty sure that the NCAA only allow verbals up and until the LOI. The kid will not sign a LOI and will remain a recruit, by NCAA definition, beyond signing day. So, how is it not an NCAA violation for this contract to be signed between a recruit and a school?
As for getting the kid a ‘job’, well this has to be the first rule on the first page of the NCAA rules handbook. I am sure Saban is delighted this kid was so inconveniently honest with the AJC.
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Highly doubtful there.
I’m studying contract law currently; almost all states make contracts with minors voidable at any time by the minor.
This would be a bad deal for the school worse than a HS junior; the kid could walk away at any time with no repercussions and the school is left scrambling for another recruit.
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Nothing more embarrassing than 1Ls spouting off about the law. Please, do yourself a favor and stop talking like this.
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Alright then Mr. Legal Expert…
What is the law then? All I pointed out was what I was taught in class. It’s why most businesses won’t contract with minors.
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Thus the need for legal guardians to co-sign the LOI, which presumably would be the case with this document.
I suspect this is just Saban talking out of his ass in an attempt to put this kid’s head back together. I am guessing there will be no such discoverable artifact because it is almost certainly an NCAA violation.
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I can see why the kid would request the writing. He knows Saban’s word ain’t worth a dime.
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Man wait till the NCAA hears about this! They will punish the heck out of some poor college in the MEAC or Ohio Valley Conference.
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I am a big UGA fan and I am sure that our HC would not do this. He does have morals, and the kids trust him when he makes a promise because he will keep it.
Having said that, I am slowly becoming ashamed of the SEC. We are beginning to look just like a lot of other conferences say we are. Crooks, bending the rules as much as possible, and not ashamed of doing it. It truly saddens me to see a few schools making the whole conference make it look bad for all members of the SEC. I guess we will simply make another rule to fill this latest loop holes, but an ethical coach would have made this step necessary.
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I am sure Slive and his crack staff of appologist are hard at it this morning figuring out how to white wash this latest outrage. After their heroics in Cam-gate, this will be a lay up.
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It is sad isn’t it. We are slowly watching our great conference get yet another black eye, due to underhanded dealing by another Coach from another state. I wonder how many other times he has made that same commitment to another student? Is he now handing out this type of letter this kid is supposedly getting guaranteeing him a spot on the team, to 2013 and 2014 recruits. Can you imagine the disclaimer attached to said letter?
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‘A piece of paper’ ROTFLMAO
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Well, here is the final test for the NCAA. Alabama is finding jobs for recruits. That is against the rules. If the NCAA can’t even put a stop to THIS, then the NCAA is over. Time to make a new governing body.
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I guess if nothing is legally wrong with giving this letter to this kid, and he banking on it as a promise, this should make recruiting in the future, a breeze. Just add a little clause in there that states, void if someone comes along better or you get hurt, playing football, prior to signing on the dotted line. Just think of the bucks we could save. Why don’t all of these coaches just give out letters right now, to the targets they have in mind for 2013, 2014, and maybe even 2015. We could call it the SEC, pre-season promise letter, that is as worthless as the paper it is written on, rule.
The kid is alright with what he has been promised because his parents, aren’t providing any guidance, and his coach sure as the devil isn’t either.
Sorry kid, you will have to forget about Alabama supplying you with a job this fall, since they will have to answer for that minor discretion, that I guess Saban didn’t know was illegal. Of course, it would have been illegal if you hadn’t stated it out in public on a public news paper. And the “Box Of Rocks Trophy”, goes to ?????????/
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Pingback: Article About Recruiting Violators - Irish Envy | Notre Dame Football Discussion
The problem with the loopholes is that, obviously, exploiting them works.
Shady Cam Newton deal = National Championship. Saban’s shady roster management = 2 National Championships. Spurrier’s shady roster management has made South Carolina a contender…and damned if Franklin’s hasn’t made Vandy inexplicably relevent!
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I have 2 new things here; but probably not new to anyone that reads this “Rumor Mill!!”; 1- Willie Martinez has resigned from wherever he was at; said he was resigining to give ‘Bob Stoops’ (I think; Someone in family) brother a place to work there with his brother… very generous of him, don’t ye think?
2- LSU has craweled back on top::- They had a whole lot of things bumping them up there; such as:: “Strength of schedule, away & at home games, number of games won on the road & at home, top 5 teams played & won, top 6-10 teams played & won, etc.” as well as a bunch of other things. One of the things that struck me as not right was the fact that they said that there was only “ONE OTHER TEAM” that even came close as far as ‘Strength of schedule and other things used to evalute the catagories was concerned; Was ‘Tennessee’. Just how many of you think that is right??? As for me; ‘I Don’t’..
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That’s a gem of a recruiting article with a juicy nugget of sleeze or sad stupidity in each answer.
The tale of two phone conversations. Last Feburary:
“When I was there, Coach [Nick] Saban was talking to me and telling me everything that I needed to know,” he said. “I decided then that I was going to go ahead and commit because that’s the school I wanted to be at. But they didn’t offer me until this morning. My recruiting coach hit me up on Facebook and told me to give him a call. When I did, he handed the phone to Coach Saban and that’s when he told and I jumped right on it.”
Now:
“Coach Saban just said I’m the 26th commitment. I would be the 26th signee. I guess he went and picked up somebody else. He said I make 26 and they only get 25. They talked about bringing me in next January.”
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Don’t these conversations always start with a given (really an assumption on our part and one that reveals our own biases in these discussions): that the kids are incapable of analyzing their own wants and making their own decisions in concert with their parents?
He WANTS to play for Alabama. He’s willing wait for that opportunity. I have zero issue on that front. We might think that’s crazy, but if I wanted to be an engineer, and MIT told me I could have a scholarship in their 2013 class, you know what? I would “be cool with that.” I would not go run off to Tech in a huff.
We’ve got to stop demanding NCAA legislation which begins with the assumption that most kids are too stupid to make educated decisions and must be protected from Evil Svengali Football Coaches. If they can sign up for the Marines, I think they can pick a college.
Now, the job and medical stuff? THAT could be a problem. As for the letter, I have no idea. I am sure it violates both letter and spirit of NCAA regs, but coaches offer kids spots in future classes all the time. It’s just the kids are freshmen in high school when they do. The difference here seems to be the letter, in-writing part of it.
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Alabama fan when told they’re crooked: “Everybody does it.”
Auburn fan when told they’re crooked: “It’s nothing compared to what Bama does.”
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Is it worth it to have an honorable head coach who does not do this? I say it is but in the short term, the high road costs probably costs us a few W’s each year due to talent inequalitity.
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The Head Coach represents our University and , as an alum, I say “Yes” easily to your question. When team “Ws” become more important than team and school honor, let me know.
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second this.
Its not always going to cost us a few W’s each year. Furthermore, its going to be that much more rewarding to win it all when we can feel the pride with winning it the right way.
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Interesting Fact:
Alabama has signed 119 kids over the last 4 classes. UGA has signed 88. Thats one full recruiting class.
Personally i’m neither pro or con about the oversigning argument, I just want some consistancy between the schools. You would think this and drug testing would be an area the SEC could step in and actually do some good.
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There are differences in discipline punishments from U to U as well. These issues are not taken as comparison shopping, but instead are realistic moral stands that each school must justify to the public. Perhaps if we just would start a “Slime Trail” Blog to quantify the moral high ground between schools, that could help some people here choose their’s. The SEC can’t resolve such issues if each coach representing a school has a differing baseline on morality.
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As far as drug testing /punishments are concerned I would just like a baseline of punishments. Such as 1st failed drug test = 1 missed game. If the U wants to impose more thats fine. The same for DUI’s etc. Set a floor and then let the U or coach impose more if warrented.
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I would agree to those words if we had something in place for report cards, merit, and circumstances of each case athlete. Victims of circumstance arise each day in the lives of these young men thrust suddenly into a bright spotlight. Victims of circumstance occur and an athlete can as innocent as lamb’s wool. Unless details come from a police blotter, I feel it would be wrong for the coach or school to give out specific information about their students. Reports to the NCAA aren’t that specific and rely on chemical testing.
At what time can we report anything specific about that student athlete? Specifics are needed if we are to compare one student from one school with another from another school; how could we begin to codify and comparison collate demeanors and attributes their of as they relate to exacting punishment for two individual athletes? In attempting to do so, we would go beyond present-day bias of school and coach for each athlete including interpretation of each individual’s circumstances.
We may be just stuck with what we got.
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The best thing this kid will get out of this deal is a 2012 Nick Saban Autograph.
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Let’s hope it is not the one, used to sign =that promise letter from Saban.
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Sounds like Saban is giving kids the old “we’re engaged to be engaged” trick.
To be fair, he probably learned it from Otter when he dropped that line on Fawn Liebowitz’s roommate.
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So, if the following is permissible….
“13.2.3.3 After Completion of Senior Year. An institution may arrange for employment or employ any prospective student-athlete (regardless of athletics award winner status), provided the employment does not begin prior to the completion of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year in high school.”
What would preclude an Alabama, Auburn, or GA for that matter, from paying a kid $180k to count paper clips for a year along with signing a them to a contract promising a scholarship one year after his HS graduation? While this seems like a ridiculous scenario, we do have precedent for a willingness to pay such sums, only this scheme would be perfectly legal. The absurdity of the NCAA is boundless.
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And why not make that a job in the university’s atheletic department ? They could return balls to the punters during practice, or catch balls thrown by the QB before they hit the ground and got dirty. Employment perks…eating at the training table..staying in the A dorm….just a job.
“12.3.3.3” is pronounced “Pandora’s Box” in english.
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Any truth to the rumor that I heard Saban was in Athens recruiting our Food Services director?
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Not sure he has time for that sh*t, although I never heard Jordan Jenkins opinion of the school dietary options. He continues to lose linebackers, and he may just begin promising everyone all the ribs they can eat.
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I’m in for $1 that Taylor never sets foot in Tuscaloosa. And I’ll double down that Taylor will have been convinced that Bama was looking out for his best interest by suggesting he go elsewhere.
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He withdrew his name today. Looks like he may be on that path you predicted.
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Saban is a master as salesmanship and finding loopholes in the rules
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My favorite part was the kid saying he was going to have physical therapy “AT LEAST seven days a week”. Huh. How many days are in his week anyway? Maybe that is the secret to Alabama success – more days in the week! Is that allowed in the NCAA rule book?
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My thoughts exactly.
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If Saban is signing the paper and the kid doesn’t have to reciprocate, then, if I were the kid, I’d use him for a year and then join someone else on signup day next year. Don’t worry, he could come to that conclusion after a year of staring at an embarrassing situation created by the oach of the school he wanted to play for.
Why is this no different than UGA paying for school and opportunity for attendence at a military school in getting grades up to qualify for D-1 and then going elsewhere. We support them in other ways other than job opportunity. Why isn’t that money held to the same standard as the job payments?
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The school money for the prep. schools goes to the school, to pay for an education, but to be quite truthful, I don’t think UGA or any other institute pays for it. Perhaps you could furnish some evidence of that. As for getting this kid a job. He has not signed the dotted line yet, nor will he until, at the earliest spring. He is therefore still a recruit and it boils down to him getting enticement . Is he not getting rewarded for being a recruit, for Alabama. This, as I understand it, is illegal for the school to do.
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Saw an earlier item that Taylor had withdrawn his name from Bama.
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Please don’t mention the word “evidence” on a college football blog. Bad Dawg.
Do they just get scholarships to MS if they are impending players for a D-1 school? Or do we interest the schools in potentially good players (“Safe” players because they are being placed in the safe for the D-1 school) and they hold’em on a scholly and play’em until they muster to Univ. prescribed levels?
I don’t know to what extent my school is involved with individual placements, or if we may be “slightly” hypocritical in estalishing moral levels. Can anyone enlighten me?
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You guys are missing the most important thing. Some business in Georgia is employing kids on the orders of Nick Saban. We need to figure out who this is so that we can hand out flyers in every church in the town.
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we need to get the Illuminati involved on this right away.
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What about the hidden punchline in the story?
Tennessee: “They gave me a number and the number didn’t even work.”
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Thread hijack alert. Dawg porn: http://yfrog.com/mlskez
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Awesome!
/drools….
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These guys are having some pretty bonding fun. Imagine a two week-old UGA Frosh running back outracing your “veteran” receiver’s speed on team video manned by Conley, Samuel, Murray pitching in on the audio while playing a few skeletons to let the new guy learn some plays. Whatever happened to that old Senior/Freshman standoffishness according to age? Probably gone forever on this Team.
That’s pretty much trouble for all our opponents this year.
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Dang on that.
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Wow, those are two fast dawgs.
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I don’t think you are allowed to find employment for a kid that is not already signed to the school with a recruiting slot being used. This kid is still, until he signs and is on a scholarship, nothing more than another recruited kid, and since he will not be signing a scholarship until at the earliest next spring, he is no different than any other recruit, and therefore, can not be provided with inducements that might be construed at trying to buy favoritism for the school recruiting him. If this isn’t controlled, what is to prevent a wealthy alumni from providing a whole bunch of potential recruits a job, the summer before they will be seniors, or for other kids maybe being spring signers. If he ain’t signed on the dotted line, you can’t provide him things like jobs.
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Thanks. “Nothing ” to the question about rich alums providing in the summer and know full well they wouldn’t ever do that at an opponents school nor at my own. Yep, that dotted line is beginning to hold the line with the NCAA rules favoring it one way only and another player person is the beneficiary of the hypocricy.
I think I just joined the Senator’s Army for Player’s Rights sideways.
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So I gather that you don’t think some schools have rich alumni that provide side benefits like that to a recruit or player. I think there have been at least three schools that are awaiting the hammer over just that same thing right now. It would be naive to think that doesn’t go on in college sports.
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Place money, that if this kid did indeed change his mind about going to Alabama, it was facilitated by a call from Alabama. After he spilled the beans about the job, and promise letter, Alabama figured if there is no job given., there is no foul committed. The kid is now, out of luck, unless another school, has an opening, can red shirt him and let him get his leg at full strength. I wonder if UGA, if it doesn’t fill out it allotment of 25, might do that for him. CMR might feel he could help out this young man, for the mutual benefit of both parties. Has he academically met the standards for admission into the SEC or NCAA yet?
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Think Bama has that little piece of info that they would like to share with us? Certainly was pledged to them and played by them for a long time if he wasn’t.
Bama probably had brainwashers on to the line with the kid tout suite teling him how his memory differs with “The Finest Coach In the Land”. He just got “InJustinficated”.
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Actually, in the long run if a few things turn in this kids favor, Saban probably did him a favor. This kid has NFL stars in his eyes, and almost any SEC school can help him obtain his dream. You can’t impress the pros. sitting on the bench.
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I hereby submit “InJustinficator” as a new word for the Lexicon.
InJustinficator- An adjective attached to Sabin’s ongoing collection of unadmirable adjectives, meaning to reference the injustice rendered to Justin Taylor by giving his scholly to someone else because he became injured after orally pledging to the school of his dreams.: Syn: nasty bastard; inJustinvacator; dreamsnatcher;
Etc; midget mentor.
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Slogans arising from this overrecruiting gaff:
“Scholly Up Front, Saban In The Rear”
“Between a Scholly and Saban’s Hard Place”.
Hopefully, others will follow follow in a slogan dedicated to this event. Saban has provided the first opening.
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instead of a dirty sanchez, may I propose a “Dirty Sabancez?”
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I hope all Georgia fans remember this when they say Richt is not cut throat enough to win. I will take Richt and his record the way he has gotten it over the way Saban handles himself anyday.
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I agree 100%. Just read the comments the kids he visits and visit UGA and you will see, to a tee, they always come away impressed by his demeanor and I think they leave, knowing he is a man of his word and a high integrity person. Anybody that doesn’t think that is important needs to examine their values in life. For kids that are easily swayed by victories alone, maybe UGA isn’t the school for them, but evidently, a lot of kids are looking for an honest, decent coach, that will be there for more than just football for them. CMR is the one coach they should want then, if that is the case. Only 8/10th of one percent of them will ever be in the NFL, but all of them will be in the game of life.
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well said.
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Saban will lose a lot of Moma’s over this. This kid’s parents are not in the picture. His HS coach is his legal guardian and his HS coach went to South Carolina with one of the coaches at UA.
Bad mojo that will bring the whirlwind eventually imo.
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“Coach Saban said he wished he would’ve been able to tell me this in August instead of now”
When I first read that I assumed he meant that coach Saban wanted to tell him months ago, August 2011. But when I read it again, I’m not sure he didn’t mean August 2012. Odd phrasing. I’m probably reading too much into it.
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Saban may be opening up a new front on the over signing wars, but I would bet he will see more than a few doors, at high schools in Georgia, shut in his face in the future. You know, the old, “don’t let the door hit you in the A**, on your way out”. You are no longer welcome on this campus.
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It were sarcasm, Woe; now with emphasis on the “chasm”.
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I think that many hs sophs and jrs will shit their pants if he offers a scholly at Bama. These 15-17 yr olds will yank the doors open and be gone like a shot and without a toothbrush. They can always get one to clean the shit out of their teeth later.
We are speaking of teenage value judgements. No matter how you try, you can’t impose your values on them. All this angst will go for naught.
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Most likely you are right cojones,
Makes you kind of wish these kids got more guidance from their elders and relative sometimes, doesn’t it? Oh well, old farts like me grew up in a different era and the times, they are a changin’.
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