The Alabama head coach does care about the players he recruits, and does want them to develop into confident young men.
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In 2013, Saban dismissed four-star defensive end D.J. Pettway following a robbery arrest. Pettway enrolled in at Eastern Mississippi Community College, where he was named a JuCo All-American. After a season away from the school, the Crimson Tide welcomed him back in January.
Saban believes in giving second chances. Many view it as posturing — Saban just wanted him back because Pettway has the talent and ability to be one of college football’s elite pass rushers.
But in a recent press conference, Saban revealed just how much it means to him to see Pettway’s development off the field, the key reason why he is so keen on giving players a second chance. From AL.com:
And then Saban got real serious.
“So I’m going to give a speech right now about this,” he said.
Saban references Mushin Muhammed, who got in trouble while playing for Saban at Michigan State. Muhammad was given a second chance, and went on to have a long and successful professional career and now has a daughter attending Princeton.
Saban gets a lot of flack for his outward appearance, his large paycheck and his dry personality.
But Saban isn’t just a coach. He is an educator of young men, and this is just the latest example of why he is the best in the business.
