Nick Saban and Paul Finebaum have had an interesting relationship for many years, but it’s always featured mutual respect.
So Saban certainly wasn’t being mean-spirited Friday when he tossed a barb Finebaum’s way.
In his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Saban and McAfee talked about the pressure facing teams on the College Football Playoff bubble, specifically mentioning Alabama.
Saban, who won seven national championships as a head coach, including six at Alabama, recalled how he handled such media scrutiny and pressure as a head coach. It was all pretty standard coaching cliché talk (“Don’t be distracted by the media, do your job, etc.”) until Finebaum’s name unexpectedly popped up.
“We lost some games that we got criticized for, and rightfully so,” Saban said. “But I was always our best critic. In other words, I wasn’t worried what everybody else said, or what everybody thought, or what was in the press about how we played or what we should have done or shouldn’t have done.
“I put more pressure on myself to do a good job and to put pressure on the other team by what we did. And I was not ever focused on what everybody said, thought, or what was on the internet or what Paul Finebaum thought.”
McAfee chuckled when Saban mentioned Finebaum. “Shout out,” McAfee said.
“I was never concerned about any of those things,” Saban said. “And I never took any of it personal. Because it does affect your focus and your judgment and your decision-making when you get involved in all that stuff.”
“I was always our best critic & I wasn’t worried about what everybody else said..
I put more pressure on myself to do a good job & I was never concerned about what guys like Paul Finebaum thought” ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/kbZ8dQRMiS
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 6, 2024
Saban and Finebaum have understandably had their disagreements through the years. Saban even joked earlier this year Finebaum tried to “ruin” his life the past 17 years.
Saban and Finebaum of course, are members of the same family now. Finebaum has been a longtime host on the SEC Network and ESPN Radio. Saban’s earning solid reviews for his work on ESPN’s College GameDay. Finebaum predicted before Saban even joined CGD that he would be “unbelievable” in that role.
[The Pat McAfee Show]
