🏈 Negative media spin on Steele departure?

[BamaGradinTN]

Nashville sports radio guys stated today that word was coming out that Kevin Steele had been quoted over the weekend as saying he was miserable at Alabama, that having previously been friends with Saban, he thought he would have been treated better than Saban is reputed to treat assistants, but that ultimately Saban treated Steele just like any other assistant, which allegedly was badly.

I have not found any link to this story in an Alabama or South Carolina paper. If you have one, please post.

Don't know if it's true, but here's my take:

I don't care. Not one bit.

When Saban was hired, we knew what we were getting. We were getting one of the best, a guy who knows how to win championships but at the same time had the ability to lose to UAB (La-Monroe?), a guy with a reputation for being a control freak, someone who works hard and works his assistants as hard, and maybe even treats them like dirt.

We hired this guy and gave him the keys, put him in complete control of the program. I didn't care about this stuff then, and I don't now.

Kevin Steele is one of the best assistants and one of the best recruiters in the country. If he thinks he will be happier at Clemson, I wish him well.

If he thought that he and Saban were gonna be barbecue buddies, I guess he was mistaken. Newsflash: Tommy Tuberville doesn't coach at Bama. If you ask Nall and Ensminger what it was like to work for Tubs, I bet you get a different answer than you would from Franklin. If Saban treated Steele just like he treated all the other assistants, even if it was like dirt, good for him. Not many managers are able to treat subordinates equally and without bias.

We do know this. Saban has had nothing but praise for Steele in the media. He gave him a raise this year. Yes, the promotion may have actually been a demotion of sorts, but credit Saban for making a good move to promote and keep another good coach, Smart, while at the same time giving Steele a raise.

You would have to be an idiot to sign on to work for Nick Saban without knowing what you are getting into. If all of this is true, Steele isn't an idiot; he just assumed that he would be treated differently, and apparently he was wrong. Guys know what they are in for when they agree to work for Saban, yet they still want to do it. They know it will lead to a better job later.

It may be that none of this is true. But if it is, look for more of the media to continue to try to paint Saban as a jerk.

I wonder what it was like to work for Coach Bryant.

 

[bamafan4ever]

If Saban treats assistants so badly, I wonder why he has had assistants follow him (LSU to Miami) and others that he has hired that have connections with former assitants.

It's a persona that the media likes to perpetuate but I doubt it is as bad as the media would have us believe.

 

[BamaGradinTN]

If Saban treats assistants so badly, I wonder why he has had assistants follow him (LSU to Miami) and others that he has hired that have connections with former assitants.

The radio guys said that it was telling that no one followed him from Michigan State to LSU. It could be that Saban didn't offer any of them. Maybe all of this is exactly the way the media portrays it. The media guys make their mistake by assuming that I care. I don't. My point is that I couldn't care less.

 

[kudzu]

Not sure if it's true but, like you, I don't give a crap. Those guys are paid very well for their services. You want to make friends go to a sewing circle or bingo on tuesday nights.

I do understand treating people with respect but you need to have thick skin to work under some coaches, college and pros. Just the way it is. If he was unhappy then maybe he did what was good for him, go somewhere else and try it. I guess sometimes winning a championship isn't as important to some as it is to others.I'm sure he'll do a great job elsewhere and I do wish him luck..

 

[Guest]

We will never know for sure, but this doesn't feel right. I'm pretty sure that Steele would like another shot as HC. As long as he works for Saban right or wrong it would be viewed as Saban's defense rather than Steele's. At Clemson he will be the guy and if the defense does well he will get the accolades and perhaps another chance at being a HC.

Coaches know that paths can well cross again in their profession, so for the most part they are reluctant to criticize a former boss or associate.

 

[Perdido Tide]

He demands you work hard. In reality they dont work that long, just hard. I think a few of them are looking for a stepping stone to a bigger job and they know Saban and Alabama can give them that, but they arent prepared for the work they will have to do.

 

[bamafan4ever]

Well, there is no denying that Saban would be difficult to work for because he expects no less than what he himself puts in to the program. People say he can be a real SOB but he is our SOB and I like him!

 

[joeman546]

Don't care.

 

[TerryP]

I have to ask.

Just what kind of insight do you expect to get from a radio show in Nashville about what is going on in Tuscaloosa with a guy that is moving to Clemson, South Carolina?

Seriously. Today was the first day he's spoken about his time under Saban. Am I supposed to believe they somehow have insight to what he was thinking and feeling about the position moreso than those who follow the program closely?

 

[Guest]

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/01/kevin_steele_it_was_time_to_mo.html

Hmmmm, Dabo contacted him in New Orleans and an informal agreement was reached during end of bowl week. I have a huge problem with this. First, could Dabo not wait til Jan. 3rd? Second, could Steele not tell him I'll get back to you on the 3rd; I'm kind of busy right now.

I didn't want him to leave, and I thought a lot of Kevin Steele. This latest revelation really bugs me. I joked with my husband the night of the Sugar Bowl that Kevin Steele must have already left the building. Mentally and emotionally it appears he may have done just that. :?

 

[BamaGradinTN]

I have to ask.

Just what kind of insight do you expect to get from a radio show in Nashville about what is going on in Tuscaloosa with a guy that is moving to Clemson, South Carolina?

Seriously. Today was the first day he's spoken about his time under Saban. Am I supposed to believe they somehow have insight to what he was thinking and feeling about the position moreso than those who follow the program closely?

Not at all. I'm just saying it was passed along as if Steele had been quoted, and I'm wondering what the original source was. I may call them and ask. Some of the sports guys in Nashville, like Bill King, who is very current on all SEC programs, are more knowledgeable. There is a very large Alabama fan base here.

 

[TerryP]

Not at all. I'm just saying it was passed along as if Steele had been quoted, and I'm wondering what the original source was. I may call them and ask. Some of the sports guys in Nashville, like Bill King, who is very current on all SEC programs, are more knowledgeable. There is a very large Alabama fan base here.

I have my doubts there was an "original source." I suspect, considering you mention there is a large Bama fan base present in the area, it was meant to create reaction in the Bama fan base and by proxy have an energizing effect on rivals listening/living in the same area.

Seriously, it's an action/reaction scenario with talk radio. I laugh at some of the things I hear re: jabs at other fan bases and I know I'm not alone in college football's fan base.

RE: Bill King.

He does have an eye (a talent) for prospects. I'll give him that freely, gladly.

His observations based on things he's seen are largely correct as well. But, when he comes to speculating on situations I've seen him wrong as many times as I've seen him right. So, it's one of those "take it for what it's worth" opinions in my eyes.

All that said...there are plenty, a multitude, of opinions out there about different stories. I take most of them for what it's worth unless I know from whom that opinion is coming from and what their track record speaks.

On Steele, and the reason for his departure, I stand behind what I wrote in my editorial based on where it came from...

 

[BamaGradinTN]

It was not Bill King or Joe Biddle that said it...different station. I have still not found a source; I'm pretty sure that there isn't one. Had there been a credible source, King would have been all over it, and there hasn't been a peep out of him.

 

[TerryP]

It was not Bill King or Joe Biddle that said it...different station. I have still not found a source; I'm pretty sure that there isn't one. Had there been a credible source, King would have been all over it, and there hasn't been a peep out of him.

In a manner of speaking, he's a lot like Finebaum in this regard. (both of those guys)

In shows, they'll allow callers to say things and spread rumors whether those stories are true or false.

BUT, when it comes to what they say on the air, you can almost be assured 95%+ of the time what they are reporting is true.

NOW, speculation in written articles? They'll speculate, but if you read it closely you can tell the difference in speculation and what they believe to be true.

My stance is basically this...if you are going to read and listen to others opinions do so very closely. Some, you can discount quite quickly. Others, you need to pay very close attention to not only the subject, but how they are presenting it...