One of the talking points in the Maurice Smith transfer situation is that Alabama let another player, Chris Black, transfer to Missouri last season, which is inconsistent with Saban’s stance now regarding Smith. Evidently the school is prepared to let everyone know that Black’s transfer doesn’t count. Wanna know why?
Because nobody was paying attention. No, really.
Schools have seven business days to either approve or deny a player’s request for a release, according to an NCAA Bylaw.
What happens if a school doesn’t respond within seven business days? The school has to give the player a full release.
That’s what happened with Black, sources told AL.com.
The wide receiver put in for his release leading up to Alabama’s game against LSU in early November.
It was a huge game, No. 4 Alabama against No. 2 LSU. With people inside the Tide building being as busy as they were leading up to that game, Black’s request for a release either got forgotten about or went unnoticed until it was too late, according to sources.
Like with Smith, coach Nick Saban didn’t want Black transferring to another SEC school. But that’s why Black was able to.
We’re supposed to believe that the man who embodies being a control freak with the largest support staff in college football didn’t keep track of a player’s transfer request because he was too preoccupied? Sorry, but that dog won’t hunt.
I hope somebody calls Saban on this whenever the topic of Smith’s transfer is raised in his next presser. Maybe the Coke bottle can shed some light on it. Seriously, if this is the best he’s got, he might as well go ahead and throw the towel in already.
Get The Picture 
LOL!!….”talk to the coke bottle”.
LikeLike
Whenever I begin to have some level of respect for Nick Saban, Little Nicky reemerges with his complete self-serving, hypocritical, thin-skinned, control-freak alter ego with the lapdogs of the Tide Pravda there to give him cover. Sure, he’s won a bunch of trophies (and for many, that’s enough to let him do whatever he wants) and brought a bunch of money to the University of Alabama. I’ll take my chances with the positives (and negatives) of the Georgia Way over the “all in, win at all costs” mindset of many of those west of the Chattahoochee.
BD, you’re a damn good Tide fan, and I would love to read what you think about this whole thing.
LikeLike
I think a player should be able to go anywhere they wish but lets not get cute and say the Georgia Way says he can. That might have been true under CMR, but obviously that’s no longer the Georgia Way under Smart. I believe he just set that tone a few weeks ago…..
LikeLike
I thought it was petty of Kirby to say no transfer to Miami when AJ Turman wasn’t even asking to transfer to Miami.
If AJ Turman had graduated from the university with eligibility remaining and asked for a graduate transfer, I hope that Kirby would have given him an unconditional transfer to sign with the school of his choice, not of Kirby’s choice. It is a different set of circumstances, and my thoughts are speculation. I do believe that we would make a similar gesture toward someone who did it the right way.
I guarantee you the Georgia Way would not have included locking the guy out of the athletic building, cleaning out his locker, and throwing his personal effects into a garbage can.
The only reason Nick Saban is doing this is that he believes this player was going to contribute this year. If this kid were in Chris Black’s situation, he would have said, “Thanks for freeing up a scholarship. Go wherever you want. I don’t have time for this $#!T!”
LikeLike
You are not a “graduate” transfer until your graduate. Otherwise you have to sit out a year.smith wants to get into Georgia so he has a better shot at a starting job. But the NCAA rules aren’t gonna change just to accommodate him. Wait until the day he graduates and them he will be at Athens the next morning.
LikeLike
So, you are saying he will be here Sunday (he grads Sat)?
LikeLike
I understand that. Have you read any of the articles about this? Unless he gets a waiver from Alabama or the SEC, he can’t go to another SEC school unless he sits for a year even as a graduate transfer.
LikeLike
If a player graduates from a school and still has a year of eligibility, he should be able to go to any school he wants.
LikeLike
Seems like that should be how it works to me.
LikeLike
That’s the only thing that bothers me about the whole shitshow. We get bullshit instead of the truth – which is that he can’t let every player unhappy with playing time run off to Kirby and Tucker and the exact same scheme. I could at least respect that answer.
LikeLike
I could respect that answer for a normal transfer (we clearly have no leg to stand on with the Turman affair), but that answer is complete BS for a graduate transfer. If Georgia has a better graduate program in his chosen field of study, why shouldn’t he be able to come to the school of his choice? He’s met his academic requirement and counts as a positive to Alabama’s APR.
LikeLike
I think that, for the purposes of precedent, Saban makes no distinction between normal and graduate transfers to UGA.
LikeLike
Oh, I know … that’s why I find it completely repugnant for a graduate transfer. I find that rule (apparently an SEC rule) restricting graduate transfers to be just ridiculous.
LikeLike
I agree completely. The kid graduated. Isn’t that supposed to be the goal? I think Smith has the leverage here or his mama has the leverage. All she has to do is throw out the words slave or plantation and Smith will be free and clear. the Bama fans might not care but all those mamas around the country whose football prospect boys are looking at Bama will care. He won’t be able to grant his transfer fast enough.
LikeLike
I bet Saban didn’t lose track of his Little Debbie’s during game week…
Anyway, probably a good reason for Bama to add more support staff, right?
LikeLike
I see zero chance Saban relents and lets Maurice come to Georgia. There is simply not enough pressure, and it won’t really hurt recruiting. If Saban backed away now, it would definitely set a precedent.
In a week, this will be forgotten.
LikeLike
I guarantee the trash episode will be used on the recruiting trail. It may not make much of a difference, but I would clearly use it as a way to show Nick cares about you only as long as you’re part of the program.
LikeLike
I’m not so sure. The personal part to this story makes it harder to forget than the usual transfer tale.
LikeLike
yeah, if anyone came in and found their personal office stuff in the trash, they are going to hold a grudge and they are going to bad mouth you to everyone they know, every chance they get for the rest of their lives.
They just created a perpetual negative recruiting machine.
LikeLike
I must have missed what you are talking about. Can you elaborate?
LikeLike
word is that Smith was told they were blocking his transfer, to not come back to the facilities, and cleaned out his locker and through all this personal items in the trash. Personal items included family pictures, sentimental items, and what not.
LikeLike
Oh wow, that’s pretty dang low right there.
LikeLike
Yeah, that Coke bottle had been hiding on Saban’s bed this whole time and not free to answer any inquiry.
LikeLike
The NCAA should forbid this rule. Once a student graduarws he should be free to go anywhere he wants. It is not like the athlete is going to give any real insight to Kirby about what is going on at Bama he knows. They are not even in our schedule. Is Saban running scared?
LikeLike
Before you know it, this site will be full of “Nick has lost control of . . .” posts.
LikeLike
I’m a Bama fan – so that’s where I’m coming from here. Let me say unequivocally that the transfer rules are bullshit. All of them. You should be able to transfer at any point when you’re not in competition IMO. Especially after a student athlete graduates. Obviously, you can’t have kids leaving mid-season to go to another program, but other than that, these kids should be left up to their own devices.
And yeah, this excuse is a little bullshitty. I have no idea if Black’s request landed on someone’s desk who wasn’t paying attention and then got reamed by Saban or not, but it seems to stretch credibility.
That said, a couple of notes here:
1. To say that Smith wants out to pursue a “better graduate program” is bullshit. The kid wants playing time, isn’t going to get it here, and thinks he can with Kirby.
2. The rules are the rules, and this happens all the time. It’s not really fair to leave this entire steaming bag of crap on Saban’s doorstep. (Ahem… https://www.dawgnation.com/football/smart-defends-restricting-transfer-options )
3. The “personal” part of this story strikes me as a little… off. There’s no way I’ll defend throwing the kid’s stuff away – but there’s no way that was Saban’s decision. Some equipment manager got a little excited and did something dumb. But the rest of it is a little hollow. It’s basically “I told them I wanted to leave and they wouldn’t help me get better to go to another team and possibly play them in the SECCG”. At the point he asked for his release, to me, it’s totally unreasonable to expect you’ll still have facilities access.
Be honest with yourself – if Kirby was doing the same thing (which, see the link above, he is), would you be outraged?
LikeLike
Lot of good points there, Elliott, although I don’t think playing time is the issue for the kid.
In fact, originally, I thought this was simply about not letting the kid play for Kirby, but after reading Scarbinsky’s piece, I think Saban is genuinely motivated by wanting to keep Smith on the roster… or at least he was so motivated.
Also agree with you that Saban would never personalize this. He’s not behind the stuff being thrown away. The problem for him is that it occurred under his watch, so he’ll be tarred with it. And that may be why this story has legs beyond the usual transfer dispute.
LikeLike
May be on the trash stuff.
Yeah, if the Scarbinsky piece is to be believed, that’s bad. No one should get “renewed” without wanting to be there. Scarbinsky, however, would stir shit on anything he thought he could, so I take his “reporting” with a grain of salt.
But there’s a lot in that piece that is a bad look – no doubt.
LikeLike
I thought Scarbinsky actually made Saban look better than initially thought.
LikeLike
I think I heard that he also barred Smith from dining privileges too. And he doesn’t graduate until Saturday? That’s cold man, he comes to Alabama to get a degree and play football, he succeeds at both and they won’t feed him until the graduation ceremony is held, and someone threw his personal things away? Going to be a hard sell, even in Alabama. And we don’t seem likely to play the Tide this year so what does being in the same conference matter?
LikeLike
Bet Kirby is thinking, maybe I do ‘t want to be exactly like Nick after all.
LikeLike
My guess is we’re the only subset in the conference even talking about this. We have an opinion because the kid wants to come to UGA. Agree that the conference should look at this and adjust the policy in favor of grad students. Other than that, what UA does is unimportant to me.
LikeLike
I’ve got two posts up in reaction to articles at al.com, so I don’t think it’s just us.
LikeLike
Sure, Scarbinsky and the AJC are looking to opine and drive viewership. I was thinking more of support bases at other schools.
My hope is the UGAAD takes proactive steps to address this before it happens in Athens.
LikeLike
Dude, the substitute teacher on the finebaum show yesterday ran with it for 4 straight hours. It’s nation wide….
LikeLike
I wasn’t clear, my apologies. Pundits, editorial writers, talking heads and so forth exist only to talk about these things. Fans, other than those of Alabama and to some degree, Georgia, probably don’t give a rats ass about this. Bang on Saban? If its fun for ya, have at it.
LikeLike
Wouldn’t it be nice if this kid came anyway and spent TWO years (instead of one) telling every kid that comes through on a visit what a POS Saban is?
LikeLike
As far as public perception, Saban’s thinking about like Lt. Raine at the end of Inglorious Basterds, “Nah, I don’t think so. Chewed out maybe. I’ve been chewed out before.”
LikeLike
I think the UN should be notified of a human rights violation. The distance from U Ala to Auburn s 156 miles. The distance from U Ga to Auburn is 179 miles. Smith is just trying to get a extra 23 mile buffer from the toxic land-fill known as the Auburn campus. Can you blame him?
LikeLike
This:
http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/auburn-football/jovon-robinson-everything-auburn-coaching-staff-not-seems/
LikeLike
The Coke bottle better watch out, it is going to be fired
LikeLike
That’s why you’ve got to love Saban, right there. His defense for why he’s being a dick to Maurice Smith is that he tried to be a dick to Chris Black also, but couldn’t because of a technicality. Teh awesome.
LikeLike
The biggest factor here is….he’s already graduated (in 3 years)! The rule allows for it! Saban let Chris Black transfer to another SEC East school under the same rule (regardless of his B.S. excuse). He’s just being a prick about it because he’s a prick. Great coach, but definitely a prick.
If he hadn’t graduated (Elliott–@elldcbc), Saban would be well in his right to block/limit the transfer just as Kirby did for Turman.
They just added to their B.S. by trashing his stuff & keeping him from the facilities. Just call it the “BAMA way”. Why so scared to let him go to Georgia? Are they really looking out for the well being of the student athlete? Hell no!
LikeLike
Pingback: Alabama’s getting its Chris Black story straight. | Get The Picture