Alabama Football: Some Tide fans want Nick Saban to stick to coaching

Some Alabama football fans are unhappy with Nick Saban. The dissatisfaction comes from the latest Nick Saban video urging Crimson Tide fans to get vaccinated. As Saban and Alabama Football Athletic Director, Greg Byrne have said before, everyone wants Bryant-Denny Stadium to be at 100 percent capacity this fall. Saban, Byrne and others encouraging people to get vaccinated contend 100 percent occupancy will be easier to accomplish the more Crimson Tide fans become fully vaccinated.

A quick review of Twitter and other social media responses shows support for Saban’s video. At the same time, there are enough negative responses to suggest support is not the majority opinion.

The sample of responses below was provided by Matt Scalici of al.com.

Putting aside a COVID or political debate for some other platform to engage, the responses above are still difficult to understand. Scalici charitably blocked out the names. Not knowing the individuals by name is best, and individual opinion, as long as not misrepresented as fact, should not be squelched. But what is unexplainable is, in what world of Alabama Crimson Tide fans, is it acceptable to tell Saban to shut up and coach.

Alabama Football: Telling Nick Saban to shut up and coach

The exact words ‘shut up and coach’ might not have been used, but they accurately describe the rancor in the responses. Any Alabama football fan believing they have the right to tell Nick Saban to ‘shut up’ is inexcusable. What Saban (and Ms. Terry) have done for the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and the state of Alabama should give him a pass to express any opinion.

Even before the Saban’s positive impact, as a law-abiding American citizen, Nick Saban was entitled to express his opinion. Disagreeing with Nick Saban’s (or anyone else’s) opinion is of course, acceptable. The world would be rather dull and less productive with everyone agreeing with everyone else on every point.

But calling out Nick Saban, if it comes from Crimson Tide fans, is simply classless. Paul Bryant talked about ‘class’ for decades. Players and coaches conducting themselves with class was one of Bryant’s main foundational values. Bryant often said he was not sure how to define ‘class’ but he knew it when he saw it.

Check out the Saban video.

Today, we may still struggle to define class but the absence of it is glaringly obvious. I hope my Bryant-Denny season seats are nowhere near such classless Alabama football fans.