Saban is dead wrong about Vigor's Philon and should offer an apology...

A bad day for nice young kid who loves 'Bama

     I have to admit to questioning Nick Saban regarding the situation with Vigor’s Darius Philon. This is the first time I’ve ever written a negative word about our head coach, and a lot of you are going to get angry. Sorry, there is this line you cannot cross or ignore.  This is just my personal opinion, and I don't claim to lead a perfect life. What Nick Saban decided to do to Darius Philon is both morally wrong and embarrassing to a great University that wears the virtue of class like it is an accomplishment, and a part of Crimson DNA.


       Let’s review the facts. Philon committed to Alabama a year ago, took no visits to other schools according to his coach and teammates. He had minor knee surgery of which Alabama was aware, until the week before national signing day there never was a mention of a  gray shirt possibility.  If those are facts Saban should be ashamed. Here is a young man who loved Alabama so much he didn’t even bother to visit other school and one more reason which is written below. Thankfully, the University of Arkansas offered him a grant in aid, and I'm almost sure that Saban helped that happen.


    I know that a lot of you are going to say this "is business" and should be taken in that context. Excuse me, that’s bullshit. This is a 17 or 18 year old  minor who did everything asked by Alabama to become an Alabama football player. To a high school senior football isn't a business. It's a sport. We all know that college football is no longer a pure amateur sport. It's huge corporate business on a muliti-million dollar basis.  Because Alabama needed lineman more than they need Philon he became collateral damage to the "process" as Saban labels it.  The part of the process that Saban doesn't talk about is the financial end of the deal.  If Saban had to talk about gray shirting early in the process, he'd lose recruits. Every coach would lose prospects except those that said, "son, you honor your commitment and we promise never to talk about gray shirting you." When Philon was asked to take a gray shirt he said he didn't want to do that.  It wasn't what he was told at the time he committed. No, at the time of his official commitment he said that when he called Saban it made the coach excited and happy.  That is what Philon says as his part of the little theater going on around him. The injury to his knee, and a chance to get to highly regarded lineman late in the recruiting process led to the "dilemma".   


       In the year after his public pledge to Alabama the kid never wavered.  Things happen, you say.  Things change, and the kid should grow up and quit complaining. Yeah, things change, bad stuff happens and most of them are not good. Not all bad things are unavoidable and this is perfect example of the adult being the child, and the child the adult.  The entire event is shameful to our University. The morally correct thing to do was very simple.  Alabama should have honored its offer. The implications of not doing so are huge and cannot be swept under the carpet. In my opinion there is no defensible position. You made a promise and you broke that promise. I don't care if you are the greatest coach in the history of present day football, or that the great University of Alabama is involved. Great means a lot of things. Lying isn't one of them. Misleading someone isn't one of them. Misrepresentation isn't one of them either.  


     Saban spends time praising those who honored their  commitments to Alabama. My submission to you is that the same should apply to our head coach, and University as well. Winning has become so important and the money so vast, that the moral imperative of how to act as honorable people is lost in the process. 


       In the midst of a rare losing season, Notre Dame head coach, Knute Rockne told his coaches that in face of the mounting criticism “we’ll tell them we are building character.”  Tough times can build character. This could have been avoided. The Coach should have said, “we made the kid a promise, we never indicated he might have to gray shirt, we’ve treated him unfairly and I can’t do that to him.”  Alabama could have been the school that did the right thing, sent an even more powerful message out to young adults about loyalty and honoring your word. Saban chose not to do so. It was one grant in aid. If the young man’s injury was such he could not have recovered he could have gone to Alabama on a medical grant. A lot of good things could have been done in this situation. Alabama did none of them. So the bottom line is that all the glowing conversation about character is secondary to winning. Saban’s heart turned cold. If you want to talk the talk you must walk the walk. Our school didn’t do that. Our coach fumbled this one badly. Winning doesn't build character. It does give you the option of exercising it however. When you lose the moral high ground you become a loser.

I'm stunned at Saban's action in the case

    We like to win at Alabama.  We like to talk about class.  We all like to talk about tradition. If winning, class, and tradition is based on such actions, then treating this player in such a manner,  we must all question whether we adhere to those values or have they become just words that sound good. I’m sure if Coach Saban could pay the kid’s way out of his own pocket, and avoid the entire situation, he would have done so in a heart’s beat. Some might say he's that type of person. I suggest just the opposite.  When you are very wealthy those type things are easy to do. (Of course, he isn’t allowed to do so by NCAA Rule). When you reach the pinnacle of your profession you could say, "well, we had to tell one of our latest targets we can't take you right now because we don't have a scholarship for you."He might have offered one of the two new players the option. He should have said to the fans, I've given my word and I will keep my word." So what Saban did wasn't classy it was cold blooded and ruthless. A lot of ruthless people are successful. However, Saban isn't building Buicks. He a coach which means he's a teacher. He has taught one heck of a lesson on this one. We don't owe Nick Saban the loyalty of offering up justifications for why he did this, why he was forced to do this, or why doing so is good for winning.  Many in our fan base feel compelled to make a right from a wrong, Some think such instances are just  the breaks of the game, and  others said the injury was too severe for Philon to every contribute. Still more people said he wasn't working hard enough in rehabilitation.  I think we all recognize expressions of guilt and knowing we are wrong to try to ameliorate Saban's aforementioned behavior. He don't owe him that. He owes us better than to treat a child in such a manner.  So future recruits have learned some things out of this. Maybe that knowledge is the silver lining in all this. First, take all your official visits. Don't feel compelled not too because a coach talks about "honor".  The second thing is never trust a salesman. I don't care if he's selling college football or used cars. 


     This was about 1 scholarship. If the University can’t overcome the loss of one grant for one year maybe we aren’t as powerful as we think. If numbers were the issue Saban was wrong in his decision about  Philon, and not keeping his promise. Saban gave him his word. If the kid’s medical problem was more severe than Alabama was led to believe then Saban might have been justified in his actions. That doesn’t seem to be the situation in this case. Don’t give me the hollow argument that kids back out of scholarships all the time matter, and that the road goes both ways. That is irrelevant in this case.  This is about two people. One honored his word, and the other didn’t. Philon trusted Saban so much he took no official visits anywhere except ‘Bama. That is the final bit to learn about all this.  One talked the talk and the other walked the walk. Saban is a great coach. On this matter he is wrong and should rectify his actions.  A public apology is mandatory, and I urge Saban to man up and say he’s wrong. As Alabama fans we should feel a little less great today. I’m ashamed that my University did this to the young man. So as my part as a graduate of the University of Alabama, Mr. Philon I am sorry.  This was not an easy post to write. I love Saban and what he has done for Alabama. I love my University even more. However; Darius Philon is one of our earthly brothers. He is more important than this treatment. 


Let the hate posts begin