Nick Saban is clearly enjoying retirement as he teamed up with 50 Cent and Travis Scott at a charity golf event last weekend. Saban hit the links in Palm Beach as part of the Mr. October Celebrity Golf Classic. Hosted by former MLB superstar Reggie Jackson (Mr. October), Saban's pairing for the event was Fif and Scott. The event raised over $1M for Jackson's foundation, which helps acquire STEM funding.
Saban is an avid golfer and has been throughout his tenured coaching career. He is neighbors with Tiger Woods after purchasing a property in Jupiter, Florida last year. Furthermore, he is also the partial owner of the Waterall Club, a private golf community in Clayton, Georgia.
Nick Saban Says Retirement Was Not Due to NIL
Meanwhile, Saban, who is less than a month removed from his shock retirement, has insisted that he did not retire due to NIL. "Don't make it about that. It's not about that. To me, if you choose to coach, you don't need to be complaining about all that stuff. You need to adjust to it and adapt to it and do the best you can under the circumstances and not complain about it," Saban told ESPN. While Saban had previously expressed doubts about NIL, namely that is could create a "pay to play" system, he also acknowledged that it was the future of college athletes.
First reported by ESPN, Saban announced his retirement on January 10. Saban hung up his headset after 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide. Saban led Alabama to six national titles and finished the 2023 season with a Rose Bowl loss to eventual champions Michigan. Saban's coaching journey began all the way back in 1973 as a graduate assistant at Kent State. His first head coaching role was at Toledo in 1990. He would hold the same position at Michigan State, LSU, and the Miami Dolphins before coming to Alabama in 2007. He immediately turned around an ailing program, turning them into them into the powerhouse they are today.
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