Alabama head coach Nick Saban dismissed comments critical of the SEC made by Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops in a brief discussion with reporters before a booster event Thursday. As Dan Kausler Jr. of AL.com reported, Saban was too busy to monitor the statements of his Sooner counterpart:
Nick Saban doesn’t have time for Bob Stoops’ s---
“I’ve got more important things to do than sit around and read what Bob Stoops has to say about anything.”
USA TODAY Sports
“I didn’t even know he said it, so you’re going to have to tell me what he said,” Saban said. “I’ve got more important things to do than sit around and read what Bob Stoops has to say about anything. But I like Bob Stoops, and I respect him as a coach, but I’m really trying to manage our business.”
Earlier in the week, Stoops made waves when he dismissed perceived SEC football dominance as “propoganda” and questioned the league’s depth. Stoops’ comments have drawn plenty of analysis, almost universally critical of his premise. It also prompted a response from an unusually casual Will Muschamp: “I’d be saying the same thing if I was in the Big 12.”
See the 3:35 mark here:
After being informed of Stoops’ remarks, Saban was more diplomatic:
“I think there’s probably a lot of animosity out there because of the success that we have in our league, but I think that kind of goes with the territory. I understand that. But we certainly respect the great program that they have at Oklahoma and the other good programs that they have in the Big 12.”
There is one SEC coach who has not yet weighed in on Bob Stoops’ comments: Mark Stoops, the new head coach at Kentucky, one of those bottom-tier SEC programs that his older brother criticized.
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