TerryP
Staff
Saban began to tell a story. He was attempting to illustrate how big a role Sexton plays in his life. Saban calls Sexton "one of my best friends," as Sexton's family vacations at Saban's lake house. Saban said he knows the latest scores of Parker Sexton, Jimmy's middle son, a top junior golfer.
"There's not many parts of your life you're 100 percent satisfied with," Saban said. "With this one, I'm about just about 100 percent satisfied."
To help explain why, Saban winds back to the end of the 1996 season, when he was still the coach at Michigan State. Saban said he had a chance to leave the Spartans to become the coach of the New York Giants. Saban told the Giants that he needed an answer by a Thursday night, as he had a critical recruiting weekend coming up. He promised his university president that he'd make a decision by 11 p.m.
Saban said Giants co-owner John Mara called to offer him the job on Friday morning. He said he turned it down because he had already informed Michigan State officials that he was staying. Saban blamed his agent at the time -- whom he declined to name -- for spreading word through the New York media that the Giants couldn't pay Saban enough.
"He wanted me to take the job because it was obviously better for him," Saban said. "And that was the moment when I decided Jimmy is just the opposite, and that's unique to most other people in this profession."
Saban and Sexton met in 1993 when Saban worked for the Cleveland Browns and Sexton was flying around with defensive end Reggie White, his first marquee client and the crown jewel of the first-ever NFL free agent class. When Saban accepted the job at Michigan State, he wanted to use an agent, but the university frowned upon the practice.
"That's probably ultimately the reason I left Michigan State," Saban said. "I always felt like I was getting the short end of the stick and had no one to represent me."
When Saban left Michigan State for LSU in November 1999, he used Sexton to negotiate his deal. He has been doing so ever since. Former Saban assistants such as Fisher, Derek Dooley, Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain all became Sexton clients. Saban said he didn't even have to give recommendations; they all saw first-hand how Sexton operated.
"That was one of the things that impressed me," Fisher said. "Nick totally trusted him. That first attracted me to him. In this business, when you get loyalty and honesty, you have to jump all over it."
Jimmy Sexton helped negotiate a market-setting $7 million a year salary for Alabama coach Nick Saban.
The Sexton-Saban relationship became a season-long storyline this fall after a pair of Associated Press stories revealed that Sexton had a phone conversation with two University of Texas power brokers last year regarding the possibility of Saban replacing Brown. Saban brushed past a question about the Longhorns' situation in a phone interview this week. Sexton also declined to discuss his conversation, except to say that it was brief and "the whole thing got blown out of proportion." He said he didn't find any reason to even inform Saban of the call.
While the Texas situation led to some uncomfortable questions for Saban and Sexton this year, the inevitability of that job opening up has certainly been good for business. In the past month, Sexton secured raises of at least $1.4 million annually for Saban, Malzahn and Fisher, all of whom have been publicly linked to the vacancy. (UCLA's Mora got a two-year extension, too.)
While representing rival coaches like Saban and Malzahn may appear to be a conflict, none of the clients seem to mind. "He's real up front," Malzahn said. "It's not awkward at all."
Another potentially thorny notion comes from Sexton recruiting players from schools in which he represents the head coach. "If our players choose him, that's great," Malzahn said. "No pressure on either end. He's got his own reputation which is very good on that end."
Saban said there have been "no negatives." He's quick to point out that for most of his tenure at Alabama, Sexton has represented nearly half of the SEC coaches.
"He has a unique way of negotiating things for you without ever causing any road kill," Saban said. "Any time one of these things happens, where I'm staying here, everyone over there is upset because of what happened. That's an art in and of itself."
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/co.../jimmy-sexton-college-football/#ixzz2pRr9fhM3
"There's not many parts of your life you're 100 percent satisfied with," Saban said. "With this one, I'm about just about 100 percent satisfied."
To help explain why, Saban winds back to the end of the 1996 season, when he was still the coach at Michigan State. Saban said he had a chance to leave the Spartans to become the coach of the New York Giants. Saban told the Giants that he needed an answer by a Thursday night, as he had a critical recruiting weekend coming up. He promised his university president that he'd make a decision by 11 p.m.
Saban said Giants co-owner John Mara called to offer him the job on Friday morning. He said he turned it down because he had already informed Michigan State officials that he was staying. Saban blamed his agent at the time -- whom he declined to name -- for spreading word through the New York media that the Giants couldn't pay Saban enough.
"He wanted me to take the job because it was obviously better for him," Saban said. "And that was the moment when I decided Jimmy is just the opposite, and that's unique to most other people in this profession."
Saban and Sexton met in 1993 when Saban worked for the Cleveland Browns and Sexton was flying around with defensive end Reggie White, his first marquee client and the crown jewel of the first-ever NFL free agent class. When Saban accepted the job at Michigan State, he wanted to use an agent, but the university frowned upon the practice.
"That's probably ultimately the reason I left Michigan State," Saban said. "I always felt like I was getting the short end of the stick and had no one to represent me."
When Saban left Michigan State for LSU in November 1999, he used Sexton to negotiate his deal. He has been doing so ever since. Former Saban assistants such as Fisher, Derek Dooley, Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain all became Sexton clients. Saban said he didn't even have to give recommendations; they all saw first-hand how Sexton operated.
"That was one of the things that impressed me," Fisher said. "Nick totally trusted him. That first attracted me to him. In this business, when you get loyalty and honesty, you have to jump all over it."
Jimmy Sexton helped negotiate a market-setting $7 million a year salary for Alabama coach Nick Saban.
The Sexton-Saban relationship became a season-long storyline this fall after a pair of Associated Press stories revealed that Sexton had a phone conversation with two University of Texas power brokers last year regarding the possibility of Saban replacing Brown. Saban brushed past a question about the Longhorns' situation in a phone interview this week. Sexton also declined to discuss his conversation, except to say that it was brief and "the whole thing got blown out of proportion." He said he didn't find any reason to even inform Saban of the call.
While the Texas situation led to some uncomfortable questions for Saban and Sexton this year, the inevitability of that job opening up has certainly been good for business. In the past month, Sexton secured raises of at least $1.4 million annually for Saban, Malzahn and Fisher, all of whom have been publicly linked to the vacancy. (UCLA's Mora got a two-year extension, too.)
While representing rival coaches like Saban and Malzahn may appear to be a conflict, none of the clients seem to mind. "He's real up front," Malzahn said. "It's not awkward at all."
Another potentially thorny notion comes from Sexton recruiting players from schools in which he represents the head coach. "If our players choose him, that's great," Malzahn said. "No pressure on either end. He's got his own reputation which is very good on that end."
Saban said there have been "no negatives." He's quick to point out that for most of his tenure at Alabama, Sexton has represented nearly half of the SEC coaches.
"He has a unique way of negotiating things for you without ever causing any road kill," Saban said. "Any time one of these things happens, where I'm staying here, everyone over there is upset because of what happened. That's an art in and of itself."
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/co.../jimmy-sexton-college-football/#ixzz2pRr9fhM3
