Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sent LSU head coach Nick Saban an e-mail following their Sept. 14 matchup complimenting the Tigers’ class after LSU’s 33-7 win.
Roethlisberger said LSU had the most class out of any team that he had ever played against in high school or college.
He also said many of the players came up to him after the game and congratulated him. They told him good luck and have a safe trip home.
So when Alabama coach Dennis Franchione ran to midfield following Saturday’s game and greeted the LSU head coach, Saban received a not-so-pleasant reception from Franchione.
The ‘Bama coach pointed his finger at Saban, and they exchanged words concerning supposed rhetoric said following LSU’s win over Kentucky a week before.
Someone created a Web site entailing an expletive-laden rant that Saban reeled off, bashing the Crimson Tide’s program and the improprieties ‘Bama was busted with.
That someone later retracted the statements and said they were figments of his imagination. The person sent letters of apology to Saban and both LSU and Alabama.
“This guy made it all up,” Saban said. “He wasn’t anywhere near our locker room. He wasn’t even within 800 miles of here.”
Apparently, Franchione still didn’t take too kindly and let Saban know about it.
I guess he never heard the cutesy cliché “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words won’t hurt me.”
By the way — ALABAMA IS ON PROBATION FOR HANDING OUT ILLEGAL PAYMENTS TO EVERYONE AND THEIR GRANDMA.
So even if Saban had said something bashing Alabama’s program about the things that placed it on probation, it’s called positive motivation for those LSU players who didn’t take the money and run.
That dreaded disease “convenientous memoryitis” must have shown its ugly face once again, as Franchione must have caught the syndrome.
“It took a long time, 30 years in the profession to try and develop professionalism, credibility, character and class in the way you treat people and the way you do things,” Saban said. “And it shouldn’t be someone else’s right to take that away from him by posting something on the Internet.”
But, Saban didn’t all of a sudden jump out of bed and say, “Let’s blow my reputation away just for kicks.”
The next thing you know, Saban’s going to flash around a whip like Bobby Knight or destroy a press box out of anger.
Can you say DOUBTFUL? Because I sure can.