Greg Sankey jabs Nick Saban for forgetting SEC Media Days credential: 'We teach those lessons quickly'

For the first time in 17 years, Nick Saban won’t be taking the podium at SEC Media Days. But the former Alabama head coach is still at the Omni Dallas Hotel in his new role – an analyst for ESPN and SEC Network.

But there’s a learning curve that comes with his new role. In order to get in, Saban needed a credential, and he said on Get Up he had to go back to his room to get it because he needed access.

That then led to a playful jab from SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. He cited some people worthy of a “media hustle award,” and saved Saban for the end after learning of his mistake.

“The third would go to Nick Saban, who apparently was denied access because he didn’t have his credential this morning and had to go back to his room,” Sankey said in his opening statement. “We teach those lessons quickly.”

After announcing his retirement from a 50-year coaching career in January, Saban joined ESPN as an analyst. His next chapter started during the NFL Draft, where he received plenty of praise for his performance, and will continue this week in Dallas.

The first assignment of the week was a hit on Get Up with Mike Greenberg, where Saban discussed Georgia, Texas and other storylines ahead of this season. But at the end, Greenberg asked about the legendary coach needing a press pass for access for a change – and that’s when Saban confirmed he initially left it behind.

“It’s a little different. I’ve never worn a credential in my life,” Saban said. “Was always, for 17 years, able to get into SEC Media Day without a credential. I had to go back to the room today to get my credential to get in. So, that’s one of the biggest changes I see. It’s not like it used to be.”

Saban is part of an impressive lineup of analysts this week. Greg McElroy, Jordan Rodgers, Roman Harper, Chris Doering, Benjamin Watson, Sam Acho, Cole Cubelic and Dusty Dvoracek are also on board for the full week of coverage. It all got underway Monday when Greg Sankey kicked off the week of press conferences.

All told, SEC Network is planning nearly 50 hours of content with its staple programs – SEC This Morning, SEC Now and The Paul Finebaum Show – will take over the network for media days. But there will also be some expanded content on ESPN2 as the SEC starts is new media rights deal with ESPN and ABC.