Dr. Matt Rhea tweets goodbye after leaving Alabama for Saints
On Monday, news broke from Josh Pate of 247Sports that Alabama’s Director of Sports Science Dr. Matt Rhea would be leaving his current position for the NFL. Granted, Rhea was just one part of a two-man team heading up the Crimson Tide’s strength and conditioning program alongside David Ballou, but the decision is still a blow to the football program.
Rhea will now be joining the New Orleans Saints, but before that move, he tweeted out his appreciation for Nick Saban and Alabama.
“Love my Alabama guys and grateful to Coach Saban for the experience,” Rhea tweeted. “They won’t even notice I’m gone but what an experience for me! Looking ahead to new challenges but I’ll be cheering for Alabama football this fall. #RollTide.”
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For the past two seasons, Rhea and Ballou have been tasked with the physical development of each player on the roster. It was originally thought to be a tough ask for them to follow in the footsteps of longtime coach Scott Cochran, who was more of a traditional strength and conditioning coach, but the two have done a fantastic job. They’d been working together for the past several years, including stops at Indiana (2018-19) and IMG Academy (2016).
After seeing Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton unexpectedly retire this offseason, the Saints promoted defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to be his replacement. Several question marks remain on the roster, but securing an innovative, well-respected person such as Rhea at least alleviates one potential headache.
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