Shane Gillis recently took a playful jab at Nick Saban during his appearance on College GameDay, and the legendary coach quickly responded to defend his reputation. A week later, it seems Saban hasn’t fully moved on from the joke, as he addressed the incident during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
College GameDay went to South Bend last Friday ahead of the College Football Playoff game between Notre Dame and Indiana, with Shane Gillis serving as the honorary guest picker. It was a fitting choice, given that Gillis is a lifelong Notre Dame fan, a former linebacker who originally committed to Army, and spent a season playing football at Elon University. It was clear that he’d bring humor to the broadcast alongside the more seasoned members of the College GameDay panel.
One of those panelists was Nick Saban, who became the target of a joke from Gillis. The comedian insinuated that other football programs, including Alabama, had been paying players before the introduction of NIL. Saban didn’t laugh it off, instead emphasizing that he knew Gillis was just trying to be funny. He then went on to explain the genuine, non-monetary factors that helped him turn Alabama into one of college football’s greatest dynasties.
Saban got another chance to revisit the moment on The Pat McAfee Show, following a clip from the new season of Gillis’ Netflix series Tires, which sparked a discussion about their earlier interaction. While it’s not entirely clear how much the joke still bothers Saban, he again noted the many legitimate reasons he was able to recruit top talent to Alabama and lightly mocked Gillis’ attempt at humor. Saban also added a bit of a mic drop, revealing that his daughter was a fan of the comedian.
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