Nick Saban annually brings in outside speakers as a motivation for the Alabama players during early August. They are often household names who have accomplished a lot in their career.

Earlier this week, Saban brought in baseball legend Pete Rose. When Saban met with reporters Wednesday night, he was asked if Rose shared about his gambling or sexual misconduct history. Saban at first paused before he answered.

“I don’t know how to answer that,” Saban said. “But he did call the guy that asked the question, in a very funny way, a name – a name that I will not repeat – and everybody laughed. But I won’t call you that name. No, he said he made a mistake. He said he made a mistake, he should have never done it and he said it was bad judgment on his part. He was very much in admitting, but he also talked about winning. And he said he never gambled on his team doing anything but winning because he believed in his players. He trusted his players. He loved his players. So that’s how he answered the question. I’m paraphrasing what he said. You asked the question, I’m giving you the answer, but I’m leaving out one part because he had some kind words for the person who asked it.”