Nick Saban: Texas is "not gonna run the SEC"

The SEC world is officially being introduced to Texas football this week in Dallas at SEC Media Days. The Longhorns have developed a complex reputation over the years. One point of contention was a popular discussion topic on day one at the Omni.

One local journalist did not mince words when posing a question for Commissioner Greg Sankey. “Texas liked to think it ran things in the Big 12,” he said. “I was curious what you would state as far as your expectation of Texas’s influence and impact on the playing fields and in the boardroom?”

Sankey was dismissive of the tone of the question, “they’ll fit, and we’ll fit together,” even though it is a big elephant in the room. A guy who used to lead a bunch of elephants in Tuscaloosa was less formal with his response.

“What tickles me is people asking these questions about how Texas has always ran the conference they were in. They’re not gonna run the SEC. There’s a whole lot of arrogant people in a whole lot of places in the SEC. They can forget about all of that,” Nick Saban said at the ESPN desk. “They’ll be a good team and a great program, and Sark will do a great job, but that’s not gonna be a problem.”

Saban Stopped by Security at SEC Media Days

The absence of Nick Saban on the Alabama sideline would be the biggest story in SEC football if it were not for the new additions to the conference. They haven’t been able to kick the coach out of this event.

Saban is working the event for the first time as part of the ESPN broadcast team. In previous years, the Alabama head coach took up all of the oxygen in the room at SEC Media Days. Now he’s just another one of the many workers doing a job and that’s how he was treated when he forgot to wear his credential.

Nick Saban was denied entry to SEC Media Days after forgetting his credential😂

“I’ve never worn a credential in my life.”

(via @GetUpESPN, @awfulannouncing) https://t.co/ZajCLsvE6f pic.twitter.com/76fCR7qZcT

— On3 (@On3sports) July 15, 2024

Michale Casagrande from Al.com tracked down the security guard who stopped Saban at the entrance to the event. Kiante Griffin was actually a former four-star wide receiver who signed with Baylor in 2012. Griffin was working the checkpoint next to his grandmother, who was unwilling to give the GOAT any leeway.

“He came down the elevator and he knew he didn’t have his credentials,” Griffin said. “He literally looked at me, he was like ‘Oh I’m going to go up and get it.’”

Griffin was ready to let it slide.

“I was like ‘I think everybody should know who you are. There’s a credential desk right here. You can probably just get another one.’ But he ended up just going back up to his room.”

His grandmother was playing it more by the book.

“They told us everybody had to have their credentials,” she said. “Period.”

Al.com

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