Nick Saban addresses tense exchange with Shane Gillis that went viral
Nick Saban did not seem to appreciate some of the jokes that Shane Gillis cracked during a guest appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay” last week, but the legendary coach has had some time to cool off.
Gillis, a popular actor and comedian, took some shots at Saban during the pregame coverage of the Notre Dame-Indiana College Football Playoff game in South Bend, Ind., on Friday night. Gillis said that NIL has evened the playing field and allowed all schools to pay their players, which Gillis joked is something that Saban and Alabama had already been doing.
Saban took offense to the quip and defended the way he ran his program at Alabama. Gillis gave a lighthearted apology but then zinged Saban over the seven-time national champion’s wardrobe. You can see the video here.
During a Friday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Saban was asked if he has gotten a chance to find out more about Gillis. The 73-year-old joked about the tense exchange and said his daughter is a big fan of Gillis.
“I understand he’s a comedian. Obviously, he was much more intimidated by JJ Watt than he was by me, which is understandable,” Saban said. “I guess you gotta live with it. … He was trying to be funny, which I get it. My daughter Kristen loves him, so that kind of soothed the soul a little bit that somebody in our family likes the guy.”
"I understand that Shane Gillis is a comedian and he was trying to be funny..
My daughter loves him so at least somebody in our family likes the guy" ~ Coach Saban#PMSLive https://t.co/xqVBj2uhIS pic.twitter.com/c5h9VOKv9c
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 27, 2024
Saban once again emphasized to McAfee that Alabama was able to recruit so well by creating “value for players,” not handing out impermissible benefits. He seemed to understand that he took Gillis’ needling a bit too seriously, however.
Gillis is known for saying controversial things, so ESPN may have wanted him to stir the pot during “GameDay.” The network certainly got plenty of publicity from Gillis’ appearance, even if Saban did not enjoy it as much as viewers.