Security at SEC Media Days is apparently pretty tight these days, even for college football legends.
Retired Alabama coach Nick Saban, covering Media Days for the first time as part of the ESPN/SEC Network team, said Monday he was refused entry to the event at the Omni Dallas Hotel because he was not wearing a media credential. It was a big change for Saban, who for many years was simply whisked past security on his way for his annual Media Days session.
“It’s a little different,” Saban told ESPN’s Mike Greenberg on Monday’s broadcast of Get Up. “I’ve never worn a credential in my life, and was always, for 17 years, able to get into SEC Media Days without a credential. I had to go back to the room today to get my credential to get in.”
Saban then added with a chuckle, “So that’s one of the biggest changes I see. It’s not like it used to be.”
Greenberg joked that he would have “loved” to see Saban get “carded” in person, and asked if perhaps anyone caught it on camera. Saban said he didn’t see anyone recording the encounter.
“No one on camera,” Saban said. “But people were very polite. So it was OK.”
Saban was asked again about the encounter at the beginning of SEC Now. “They were just doing their job,” he said.
“Somebody’s gonna get fired,” fellow panelist Benjamin Watson deadpanned.
Here’s video of the Saban interview: