Stephen A.’s GREATEST moment with Nick Saban + Paul Finebaum’s reaction | First Take

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Paul Finebaum join Molly Qerim to talk about Nick Saban retiring from Alabama.
0:00 Nick Saban’s statement
2:30 Stephen A. admits he was shocked
6:00 The end of the 2022 season
7:30 Reflecting on Saban’s legacy
#ESPN #FirstTake #StephenA
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[@chrisg2665]

Only 3 times I have shed tears over sports. 1. Jordan retiring 2. Dale Earnhardt’s death 3. Coach Saban retiring I am still trying to process this information but thanks coach for all the championships and SEC titles. Greatest run of all time!

[@kevinkrusze1474]

Michigan fan here, I'd like to congratulate Saban on his historic career. He is a legend

[@greenion42]

Congrats on the Natty bruh, I'm a Bama fan but I'm so happy for that team and the fans

[@DonniDixem]

Michigan Fan here, Saban is the 🐐 the greatest college coach of all time

[@sammygaudino8906]

I'm a michigan fan to...coach bryant has a argument?

[@trails4all]

I bet that was a long phone conversation between nick and Bill yesterday 😂

[@Im.Yer.Huckleberry]

End of an Era I've never been nor ever will be a Bama fan, but no one can argue he's a legendary coach.

[@logansneed2882]

Im not a Bama Fan either but he is the best College coach of this Generation by far.

[@joshsalmons1867]

Saban set the bar for college football. That's how saying "we want Bama" got started. The SEC wouldn't be as dominant if he didn't set the standard.

[@TheMCJ2011]

Absolutely

[@glennsatterfield1755]

Why are they stuck on him hating NIL when ALL the message boards and "folks in the know" saying he's retiring because his wife has early onset dementia. He's not running from recruiting hardships (he literally just had the 2nd best class DURING NIL).

[@SuperMercedes44]

Because the media ain’t about the truth , it’s about the bang/wow factor. Sucks but that’s what it is .

[@LadyLuck77]

He sees the writing on the wall, Auburn is on the rise….. Auburn almost beat Alabama, would have if not for a fluke 4th and 32 play. He felt the mediocrity of his team and decided that he didn’t want to end his career with the rest of the NCAA playing field leveling out. He knows the glory days of Alabama are coming to a close.

[@allthewaylivesports]

​@LadyLuck77 What, lmao😅😅😅😅

[@AdrenalineJunkie25]

@@LadyLuck77auburn lost to Maryland and new Mexico state! Stop it with the on the rise stuff 😂

[@hwright85]

Because it’s not the sole reason but it definitely played a part in it. Saban is old school, players have no moral or loyalty anymore and he was pretty vocal about that.

[@davidmarrotte3265]

He and Miss Terri were first class in Tuscaloosa! War Eagle know dat!

[@ucdaking6352]

Bill Parcel should be proud of his coaching tree🎉👑

[@halamadridpatriotsnationgo1057]

Saban and Belichick 🔴 🤝 🔵 🏆👑

[@keithbarto5464]

We're going to miss him soooooooooo much😢

[@PeaceFan1]

Saban IS THE GOAT Because he Won 7 National Championships with 7 Different Teams and QB's!!!!! He is THE GOAT of ANY Football Coach, College OR NFL!!! Belichek had Brady for ALL those 6 Super Bowls... NO ONE has done what Saban has Done!! ROLL TIDE!!!

[@mindset4Sucess]

He was trash in the NFL 😂. Any coach will win at Alabama.

[@melvindoo643]

this is a joke if anyone wants to be the goat they have to be able to prove they can win on both saban couldn’t win in the nfl Jim Harbaugh could if he win another natty and maybe a superbowl or 2 he will then become the GOAT

[@bradleyward285]

​@melvindoo643 yet saban is still the goat of college football

[@Blayze1017]

Saban took a center that couldn’t snap the ball , a left tackle that couldn’t block and a qb that couldn’t throw or find open receivers-won the sec and took the national champion to overtime.

[@emmaturner3578]

Praying for a wonderful healthy future

[@connorhirth7240]

Paul finebaums AirPod living in a penthouse 😂😂

[@fairviewgreensmade]

😂😂

[@greenion42]

3:00 this was a good soundbyte, gotta be real every time

[@melissafritts8648]

Paul Finebaum has that weird smile for no reason

[@Jt7166]

I have no attachment to Alabama at all, but I’ve got all the respect in the world for Nick Saban. If he never won a championship, I would still have massive respect for him just from the way he sticks up for his players. Classy guy through and through.

[@keithjones5096]

Saban didn’t hate NIL. He hated what people were calling NIL. An 18 year old who hasn’t taken a snap in college has no NIL, yet schools are paying him for his services. That’s pay for play not NIL. Saban hated that. Saban has always supported player compensation, but only when the player created the value for themselves through their accomplishments. That’s true NIL, not this non sense we have now.

[@kakykall]

Finally, someone got it right! Perfectly said, thank you!

[@TheMCJ2011]

Absolutely agree

[@CLfreak246]

After the 2022-23 CFB season, I thought that Saban going into 2023-24 would be “Saban’s Last Stand”. I didn’t think it would be real, though. 🫡 Here’s to the GOAT of College Football!! I know most of the CFB world had a hearty business relationship with him, but Saban is a legend on and off the gridiron. Saban, you will be missed, but never forgotten!!

[@yengvang8737]

Nick Saban greatest moment was ending the Swamp in 2009. That's where it all started.

[@yokerv6103]

Who’s the WR they were talking about?

[@DZ-tf4yp]

never been a Bama fan, but this is kinda sad and its gonna be weird to watch college football without Saban being a part of it

[@DCthegreat34]

Greatest coach in my generation. Some may be able to go back and give better instances in their lifetimes. As a Dawg fan, I’m glad that he birthed Kirby.

[@ianwilson9325]

I assume he is talking about Jordan Addison going from Pitt to USC instead of Alabama, can anyone confirm this?

[@wack8589]

Aaron Anderson

[@MrJonesboi09]

Evan Stewart

[@TanakaSigauke]

His the goat

[@kimmartin6063]

Time for Paul to walk away to

[@TheMCJ2011]

Fingers crossed!

[@DaltonGK1]

Does Nick saban have a book out? Life tips, etc? Just wondering

[@themoneyman1752]

Shocked

[@mauriceboykin4422]

The man isn't dead he stepped away to take it easy and enjoy life good luck coach and for you fantasticam bama fans good luck

[@themoneyman1752]

@@mauriceboykin4422 dont act like you wasnt shocked with the rest of the world, people like you are annoying, idk why you acting like you saw this coming cause no 1 did

[@kendrickellis8726]

As an a Fan... Either Bill or Pete...

[@BionicHamburglar-zj9hy]

That player that Finebaum is talking about has to be either Luther Burden or Evan Stewart. Probably the latter because he later famously criticized Jimbo about "buying players".

[@bamafan73191]

No it was jordan Addison I believe

[@huntercarroll4300]

@@bamafan73191Aaron Anderson (LSU)

[@ceasarramirez5534]

RollTideRoll 🐘🐘

[@willgenre2725]

The fact someone can be against people making a living off THEIR image while they make millions is fn insanity

[@darrinlorr5021]

The fact you believe thats How Nick Saban thinks lets me know that your are the dxmbest mfer to ever come in contact with a keyboard! He believes all the players should make the same amount across the board! Not one more than the other! This isnt the NFL the way they are doing this is destroying the integrity of college football as a whole! Every player recruited should get the same amount across the board. No more no less. $300k is more than enough for each player for there duration in college! Keeps families from struggling and parents from looking at they kids like a easy way out of life. Not to mention the level of stress it puts on the recruit that doesnt get miilions of dollars like high level recruits. Hes not the only coach that feels this way.

[@Itz_Crawfish]

Off to the retirement home in Florida!

[@bookie13]

The new NCAA college football game should be renamed Saban24

[@MrMaloty]

Georgia fans are rejoicing 😂😂😂

[@jamiegunter7016]

They lay off before the Michigan game is what slowed bama down if Michigan and alabama would have play the week after the sec championship game bama would have won that game

[@fairviewgreensmade]

No!!!! Michigan was the better team.

[@mauriceboykin4422]

If is the biggest word I the world and what if that last minute pass in the auburn game and what if if if if if

[@WestBeachFLboy]

No doubt, cause bama was HOT. No reason there should be a whole month between the conference titles and the first playoff games. Completely stupid. It should be 2 weeks after conference titles for the semi final and then 2 weeks after that for the final.

[@darrinlorr5021]

​@@fairviewgreensmadeno they was not alabama dominated the second half of that game on both sides of the ball except the last drive of regular time by michigan. Alabama beat alabama or should i say the Alabama center beat alabama with his horrible snapping everytime bama would approach the redzone in the first half he would snap the ball way to early or way to to low or while milroe wasnt looking or over milroes head and just kill the drive. Michigan won the game but michigan was not the better team. The stats show that.

[@user-hh4qh2fo4b]

Yall are Alabama meat riders, Saban is better when he has more time to prepare so yall don’t know what your talking about, Michigan beat them fair and square, if if if if, Alabama should have lost to auburn. I could use y’all’s logic and say that auburn should have one.

[@lifeinvestments6329]

No college football players should be making 5 million dollars it has to be a market cap on what a student athletes are making college football has to operate off of market cap now so that way everybody can compete from a college like Alabama all the way down to a college like Kent State so now is the time for college to have a market cap put in place they need to follow the NFL and how it's set up moving forward

[@jeffgutterson881]

The only thing that's better than that is....... Alabama beats Michigan Then Alabama beats Washington THAT WOULD Have BEEN GREAT And Saben Would have went out a winner Close but no Cigar.... Good Luck Nick anyway ........ Your Friend JEFF G

[@billhop5310]

Pete Carrol to Alabama?

[@babystone6606]

He could have waited cuz now we goin talk about this instead of the champions now

[@bobwhite2]

Finebaum? I don’t get it.

[@arthurwilliams7307]

He can't coach forever, I think he made this decision last year

[@TEAST23]

NIL was the beginning of the end of college football as we know it.

[@thisguy3897]

Lane Kiffin

[@amandaobanner9121]

The bears 🐻 Nedd him

[@edwardrichardson9543]

I guess Saban LANK (let all naysayers know) he’s retiring

[@mindset4Sucess]

He sucked in the NFL. Any coach will do well coaching at Alabama. They recruit some of the best so it’s easier to win.

[@LadyLuck77]

4:35 There is no way he is the greatest coach that ever lived in the NFL. College maybe?!?! NFL come on Steve, he was a HUGE FAILURE in the NFL.

[@BallWithWes94]

he meant as a whole group for the best parts of their careers like you'd rank him up with the like of Belichick, Pat Summit, Coach K, Pat Riley and ect..

[@jamiethomas5849]

If he really retired because of NIL he’s a quitter that didn’t want to have to prove himself on a closer to level playing field

[@imSupreez]

If it was that, he would have quit when NIL first came in….how you gonna attempt to talk down about someone who has accomplished more than you 😂.

[@carlozabbia1157]

Stephen A. Smith and Paul Finebaum have the two biggest egos in the sports world, and neither are very admirable or reliable, in my humble opinion.

[@vincentmorgan5649]

i would sure like to hear from ex players or coaches then this clown

[@kimmartin6063]

Joe should go to Alabama he knows how to cheat

[@jamaljohnson7102]

Crying Steve 😢😢😢😢😢😢 go blue. Alabama who? Go coach bama Steve😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😢😢😢😢😢🎉

[@jorgepayne2395]

He isn’t the greatest on any level he couldn’t coach grown men in the pros he was terrible in the nfl

[@LadyLuck77]

Ding Dong The Witch Is Gone. Bye Bye Nick Satan……

[@jamesd7495]

Classy

[@Pocholo86]

That's how great nick saban was..have his hater celebrate his retirement..pop those champagne

[@RDBean]

@ladyluck77, you are still a loser

[@kakykall]

Childish🙄