Nick Saban hilariously deflects praise from Bill Belichick: ‘You’re full of sh-t’
By David Wasson
Published:
Former New England Patriots coach and current North Carolina boss Bill Belichick joined the ESPN College GameDay crew Saturday morning to talk about his time with former Alabama coach Nick Saban when they both coached for the Cleveland Browns – with Saban serving as Belichick’s defensive coordinator in Cleveland from 1991-95.
“I learned an awful lot from Coach Saban. We came from different defensive systems, and we merged them together in Cleveland,” Belichick said from the sideline while watching his Tar Heels team warm up for the game against Clemson. “I learned a lot from him about man-to-man coverage, which we didn’t play a lot of in New York. And the 4-3 defense, which he played at Michigan State and Toledo. So it was a great experience watching Nick handle the free agents, and then to recruit and build the program in Tuscaloosa.
“I’m very grateful for the relationship I have with him, and all the things I’ve learned from him. He is the best that’s ever done it, and it is a real honor for me to just be with him for those 4 years and to have our relationship and friendship that is almost life-long in this career.”
Saban (who coached the Browns to the NFL’s top defense in 1994) absorbed that praise from Belichick, who is in his first season coaching at North Carolina, and responded as only Saban can.
“I never thought in all the time we have been friends that I would say you are full of sh-t, but I learned a lot more from you than you ever learned from me,” Saban said as co-hosts broke out in laughter.
“That’s not true. That is simply not true,” Belichick responded.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
