Nick Saban: ‘I never considered going to Texas’

By John TaylorDec 14, 2013, 1:57 PM EST

As we attempt to run these dual storylines so far into the ground we piss off the citizens of Shanghai, Nick Saban made his first public comments since word broke Friday night of a contract extension that served to both keep the title-winning coach at Alabama for the foreseeable future and end any and all speculation (for now) of a move to Texas.

And, as expected, Saban claimed that a move to Austin was never a consideration for he and his wife, saying he wouldn’t have been interested in the Texas job even if Mack Brown had stepped down from his longtime post.

“The way this sort of got spun, it was a little bit more like, ‘OK, he got a new contract at Alabama, so he’s going to stay at Alabama instead of going to Texas,'” Saban told ESPN.com SEC blogger Chris Low Saturday in his first public comments since the school confirmed his contract extension. “I never considered going to Texas. That wasn’t even a conversation.

“I knew that if Mack stepped down, there would probably be an opportunity, but it wasn’t something I was interested in doing, not at this stage in my career.”

Saban reiterated his commitment to the Tide, telling Low, “I don’t want to go someplace else. I don’t know how many times I can say that.”

Rumors connecting Saban to the Longhorns have been percolating for years, reaching a boil when it was confirmed during the 2013 season that the coach’s agent had been involved in some level of discussion with UT officials earlier in the year. Both Saban and his wife attempted to quell the speculation to no avail as the rumor mill cranked into overdrive as the season wound down.

The fact that UA officials were reportedly “getting nervous about the lack of a response” from Saban on the new contract didn’t help matters.

Saban seemed perturbed (pictured) at the very public speculation, especially as it came at the expense of a man he respects still holding the job he was rumored to be taking.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mack Brown,” Saban said. “Mack Brown is the coach at Texas. He deserves the right based on his body of work to be able to leave the program the way he wants to leave the program. It wasn’t fair to him or to me to be speculating about this job, which I haven’t talked to anybody there about.

“Really, the whole thing from my perspective stunk, but there wasn’t a hell of a lot I could do about it.”

Utah State player upgraded to fair condition after collapse

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 1:50 AM EDT

Stephen Lew/Getty Images

Utah State redshirt freshman wide receiver Josh Davis is in fair condition on Friday, one day after collapsing at spring football practice following sudden cardiac arrest, the university announced.

Davis, initially was listed in critical condition, was breathing on his own. He is in the intensive-care unit at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah.

Davis’ parents arrived in Utah on Thursday evening.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Davis, who is from Carlsbad, California, collapsed at Merlin Olsen Field and was immediately treated by the training staff, the university said. He was taken to Logan Regional Hospital.

The university said Davis was stabilized in the Logan hospital before being moved to Ogden.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.