TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Despite his best attempt to deny it, Nick Saban is more than “just a football coach.” As the highest-paid public employee of the state, his opinion matters. That goes for issues both on and off the field.
To no surprise, Saban was questioned Monday about the political protests that swept across the NFL over the weekend. Several teams united to show protest during the national anthem Sunday with some locking arms and others taking a knee. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans all elected to remain in their locker rooms during the anthem.
The protests followed comments President Donald Trump made Friday while at a political rally for Sen. Luther Strange in Huntsville, Ala. During a speech, the president encouraged NFL owners to punish any player who “disrespects our flag,” stating they should “get that sone of a b**** off the field.”
"I'm just a football coach. I don't keep up with all that stuff as much as maybe everybody else does, especially during the season, especially when we're playing games," Saban said. "To me, some of the things that we do in our country when I grew up, they were unifying events and it's a little painful to see that those things are not so right now. But I also respect everyone's rights not to censored in terms of the way they express their beliefs.
"I'm just a coach. I don't have the answers to all the questions. I know that most good things come out of love and respect and compassion and unifying people. Most bad things come out of hate and dislike and deceit. Hopefully, we can focus on the above and not the below."
LINK
https://alabama.rivals.com/news/saban-alabama-players-provide-thoughts-on-recent-protests
