Nick Saban and the University of Alabama are faced with the hard task of shutting down Johnny Manziel on Saturday, and no off-field distractions are going to get in the way of their No. 1 priority — no matter how hard reporters try.
After a Yahoo! report broke on Wednesday alleging that former Bama offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, along with four other SEC players, received improper benefits from former Crimson Tide defensive end Luther David, reporters in Tuscaloosa had some questions for the coach. What started as a calm, normal press conference quickly evolved into a frustrating affair that ended with a sarcastic remark from Saban as he walked away from the podium.
Saban detailed how practices had been going in the early part of the week before he was hounded with the same questions about Fluker over and over again.
“If you want to talk about the Texas A&M game, I’ll be glad to talk about it,” Saban said after the third question about the report. “That’s what I’m here to do. I’m here to coach our players and talk about our team.”
When no questions were asked, Saban replied with, “I appreciate your interest in the game,” and walked off the stage.
Check out the press conference that ended prematurely below, and skip ahead to the 3:30 mark to see the meltdown from the start.
