NCAA Football

Too Much Too Soon? Alabama Unveils Statue of Nick Saban

A nine-foot statue of Nick Saban, commemorating the 2009 BCS Championship won by the Alabama Crimson Tide, was unveiled yesterday in Tuscaloosa and unsurprisingly, no one found the whole thing absurd.

A University of Alabama student described the unveiling as “history being made. I can tell my grand kids I watched it.” Another student described the unveiling as “internalizing a legacy.”

And then, there’s this.

“This statue’s going to represent what that team accomplished,” Saban said. “Their names are all going to be on the national championship plaque in the sidewalk so that someday their children can come back and say, ‘See, my dad was part of that team. My dad did something special for the university that will live on forever.’”

That quote from the unveiling ceremony is a cynic’s dream. So the statue of the coach somehow represents the players, who actually played for and earned the championship? The players who, of course, weren’t compensated? All they have is memories while Saban has millions, his health and a statue.

It represents the height of ego, veering closely toward Bud Selig territory.

Video is below, via Deadspin.