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Nick Saban draws multiple FCC complaints for swearing on ESPN’s College GameDay
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Nick Saban began his full-time broadcasting career last year after hanging up his coaching whistle at Alabama. Ask most fans how it went, and you are bound to draw rave reviews for Saban’s insight, well-timed anecdotes and dry humor throughout ESPN’s “College GameDay” broadcasts.
However, not all viewers were pleased with Saban’s performances, particularly as it relates to the legendary coach and his occasional foul mouth on the set. In fact, Matt Stahl with AL.com obtained documents from the Federal Communications Commission that show Saban drew multiple complaints for his on-set swearing during the 2024 season.
According to those documents, one complaint specifically stems from ESPN’s Championship Weekend broadcast ahead of the SEC Championship Game while discussing the flag-planting fiasco from the week prior involving Michigan and Ohio State. In reference to both those schools receiving significant fines, Saban described the situation as “worrying about mouse manure when you’re up to ears in elephant shit.”
Shortly after the broadcast ended, the documents show a concerned viewer from Missouri had a significant issue with that comment (and others) and wanted significant fines for Nick Saban:
“Nick Saban said the word shit twice, bitch once and something else I can’t remember,” the complaint, obtained by AL.com via a Freedom of Information Act request to the FCC, read in part. “I tune (in) to gain knowledge and insight on college football, not to have profanity stuffed in my face by a former coach trying to be funny. It will continue until you (fine) them a million dollars or more. Chinchy fines accomplish nothing.”
According to those documents, Saban received 3 different obscenity complaints throughout the season. Unsurprisingly, not a single complaint came from the state of Alabama.
Another complaint came from a viewer in North Carolina and referenced issues with Saban and Pat McAfee:
“I continually hear profanity on College Gameday which airs on ESPN,” the author said. “The show comes on at 9 am to 12 noon. Children are obviously awake and can be exposed to this broadcast. Today Nick Saban used the profane word ‘bullshit’ on air. Most every show I watch Pat McAfee is using profanity. I don’t understand why the FCC is not (stopping) this. The window is 6 am to 10 pm for children-sensitive programming. No one is able to sit down with their children and watch a football show without exposing them to the profanity.”
The third complaint against Saban came on Jan. 10 and referenced “inappropriate language” from Saban and Desmond Howard during the Ohio State and Texas game. That viewer urged the games to be scheduled after 9 pm “if these men want to use this language.”
Fans in the SEC are likely used to Saban after hearing the head coach at press conferences throughout his legendary coaching tenure for the Crimson Tide. It’s also worth noting that ESPN, as a cable TV channel, did not incur any violations on the part of Saban due to different rules and regulations in place between cable and network television.
However, it’s still interesting to see any fan have issues with Saban after what can only be described as a wildly successful first year on College GameDay.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
