Perhaps it's time to take the Nick Saban return to coaching rumors a little more seriously.
The legendary former Alabama coach addressed the rampant rumors of his potential return to coaching for the first time in an interview Friday morning on FOX News Channel's Fox & Friends. Despite the rumors consistently being shot down by those close to him, including his own daughter and Chris Low, the man who broke the news of his retirement 18 months ago, Saban seemed to leave the door open on a potential return to the sidelines when asked about it for a third time.
After side-stepping the question twice with a funny Miss Terry quip and then talking about being fulfilled by what he is currently doing, Saban offered the following which will surely have the rumor mill churning full speed.
"There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching," Saban said.
Saban went on to talk about enjoying what he's doing professionally alongside the quality time he's getting to spend with his children and grandchildren. But plenty will run with that quote as a non-denial and Saban essentially saying, "never say never."
It's no secret that Saban is not a fan of what college sports have turned into, but following the Executive Order by President Trump on Thursday, changes could be imminent.
Saban's other statements on Friday make a return to coaching unlikely
The quote of there being no opportunity right now will dominate the headlines. It's certainly an interesting statement for Saban to make, but it doesn't guarantee that he will be back on the sidelines. He just doesn't want to say never. He may listen to offers after this season. He'll probably rebuff them. The situation would likely have to be perfect, and the situation would probably have to come from the NFL.
Saban rebuffed the question about coming back twice before offering the quote everyone is running with.
"No, I'm really happy with what I'm doing right now," Saban said.
He also offered a trademark Saban quip when he was asked to begin with:
"I never really had a thought about getting back into coaching until two days ago," Saban said. "Miss Terry said I had to run the sweeper in the entire downstairs. While I was running the sweeper, the thought occurred to me, when you were a coach, you had a heck of a lot better job than this. So that's the only time I considered it."
That's obviously a tongue-in-cheek story by Saban, but it points to one reality that is consistently overlooked by those ready to write the story on his imminent return: Miss Terry isn't going to give up on having him home to run the sweeper, along with various other chores, so easily.