re: Nick Saban is a jerk.

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I was reminded of Saban's unpopular NFL past last Saturday while enjoying some Chinese food with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo at a Towson, Md., restaurant. Ayanbadejo, a thoughtful veteran who has played for a healthy spectrum of head coaches during his 14-year professional career, recalled being summoned to Saban's office in 2005 after learning he'd been traded to the Chicago Bears.
When Saban asked him if he had anything to say before he departed, Ayanbadejo replied, "You're a good coach. You should devote more time to coaching and less time to being a jerk."

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And there was even an anecdote, from Ayanbadejo, about Saban trying to intimidate veteran linebacker Junior Seau. Given my affection for the late, great and immensely popular future Hall of Famer — who, to his credit, laughed off Saban's attempt to keep him from practicing without cleats — you can guess how I felt about that incident.

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The players told Saban that they agreed with his demanding approach to practice, that they welcomed the hard work and the insistence that they go the extra mile. They had just one request: During the five-minute warm-up period at the start of practice, as they stretched amid the South Florida heat and humidity, they preferred to remove their helmets.
Saban nodded and told them he understood their rationale. Though he didn't specifically grant it, he gave the distinct impression that helmets would no longer be required during warm-ups.
Recalled one player who was on the council: "The next morning, Junior Seau started stretching without a helmet, and Saban jumped him: 'What the [expletive] are you doing with your helmet off? We wear helmets at practice!' After that, the whole leadership-council thing was kind of a joke."

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Nick, take my advice: Stay in Tuscaloosa.
You don't belong in the big leagues.

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