Saban Admits to Tampering?

[tmny99]

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From our good friends at PFT. Enjoy.

In an era where teams and agents are becoming increasingly lackadaisical regarding the rampant tampering that occurs when players under contract with one team are courted by another team, Dolphins coach Nick Saban has provided perhaps the most telling admission regarding a practice that is as common as it is a violation of the rules.

In an informal Tuesday press conference occurring at the ownership meetings in Florida, Saban said the following regarding the team's acquisition of quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who currently has no agent:​

"I think that sometimes agents can be facilitators to communicate with, because we, until Minnesota gave us permission to talk to Daunte, we couldn't talk to him. And because there wasn't an agent, we couldn't talk to his agent. So we had no way to communicate. And that was the most difficult part of it, was the facilitating the situation and the circumstances surrounding making a deal, not making a deal. It was very difficult to communicate. When Minnesota gave us permission to talk to him, then that was okay. We could, we could talk to him and that wasn't an issue or problem. So, I think there's circumstances and situations where agents can facilitate and communicate things that make it a little more easily attainable."​

Translation: "If Culpepper had an agent, we just would have talked to the agent during the period of time that we weren't allowed to talk to Culpepper."​

The only glitch in this reasoning, however, is that if you can't talk to the player, you also can't talk to the agent about the player.​

Saban is normally adroit with his words, providing interesting sound bites without giving away many secrets. In this instance, he possibly has provided enough ammunition for the NFL to take action in an effort to reel in the rampant and flagrant tampering that occurs, if the NFL chooses to do so.​

On one hand, it would be unfair if the Dolphins get dinged, since everyone does it. Then again, others in the league would say that Saban deserves it, since (in the opinion of at least one league insider) Saban "acted like he was still in the SEC" in the days prior to the launch of free agency, when contact with impending free agents -- and their agents -- was still prohibited, but nevertheless was widely occurring.​

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[cnc66]

ya know, I thought this was going to be about his coaching up the kid for the Oilers, I remember him discussing this too tho. The media begs him to get informal and then they hammer him. Wilbon will be screaming about it this afternoon. The whole interview is at "insider"

 

[Calvin Clean]

Saban Also 'fesses Up To A Little Wonderlic Cheating

In a lighter moment from his Tuesday press conference, Dolphins coach Nick Saban acknowledged that, while he was working for the Houston Oilers from 1988 to 1989, he helped a player improve his score on the Wonderlic test to a level that would permit him to be drafted by his team.

The player previously had bombed out on the 50-question intelligence test, making it difficult to justify drafting him.

Said Saban: "They sent me to work out a guy once when I was in Houston. . . . He had a low grade on the Wonderlic. And they sent me up there with the test to re-test him. . . . So I really liked this guy. [He] played safety. So I got the test out and even though I didn't take it I studied it. Then I tutored the guy for about an hour before he took it. Then I gave him twice as long to take it as he was supposed to. And he doubled his score on it. So we got him to where we could draft him.
"Now nobody knows that, but I don't think [Houston owner] Bud Adams can fire me now, so I don't care."

Though Saban was chuckling throughout much of the story, we don't get the impression that it was an exaggeration or an embellishment. And there's just enough Machiavelli lurking the root of Saban's anecdote to lend even more credence to the story perched above this one.

By the way, the Oilers didn't get the guy who got the extra time and tutoring on the test. "He got picked before we could pick him," Saban said. "So somebody else obviously tutored him up, too."

Link: http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

 

[burger13]

PFT tries to point out tampering by some team every single day.....it's like their favorite topic.......then they go on to mock the NFL for not going after these teams that IMPLY that they may have tampered......or in Saban's case, may have been willing to.

I really don't mind the site.....but they really need to get over the whole tampering thing.

 

[LarryFinFan]

As is the norm with PFT, they take some fact and inunendate it with their opinions and speculation...they wouldn't be so bad a site for info if they'd stick more to the facts and less to speculation of those facts...

 

[hooserdaddy]

ya know, I thought this was going to be about his coaching up the kid for the Oilers, I remember him discussing this too tho. The media begs him to get informal and then they hammer him. Wilbon will be screaming about it this afternoon. The whole interview is at "insider"

I don't consider PFT.com the media!! Somethings there accurate on, but as much stuff as they throw out there eventually something will stick.

 

[greatwade]

People are F'n Tampering.com

 

[finfan54]

Ah, I get it! Saban tampers while shanahan simply tells the world something not suppose to be said, and that is ok!

 

[Dolphan23]

They're just nit-picking now...its pretty rediculous when all they have is something back from 1988! And besides, he understands the legality aspect of the NFL. I just think they Vikes are the ones that feel stupid since number one, they let one of the best QBs available in today's era go to another team. Secondly, now they have to deal with Brad Johnson as their primary QB? Anyway, enough of the jealousy! We have the primetime game they dont they're pissed about it and thats all there is to it! :) Oh yeah and to support with what I just said this was on PFT as well...

CHILDRESS ACTS LIKE A CHILD
You'd think that Vikings coach Brad Childress has better things to do. The draft is less than a month away. Minicamps are coming up. Potential free agents are still floating around.
But yet Childress still has time to continue to pick at the scab on his butt otherwise known as Daunte Culpepper.
Although Childress previously has vowed that he was done talking about Culpepper, the rookie head coach can't help himself, it seems. This time around, Childress is dissing Daunte's decision to rehab his shredded knee in a location that, in Brad's apparent view, isn't good enough for an NFL quarterback.
"He's rehabbing in a HealthSouth place in Orlando. . . . I close my eyes. I'm seeing a Chinese restaurant, a HealthSouth place, a laundromat. Basically a strip mall that he's rehabbing himself at. And I'm thinking, what did they have in there? They had a StepMaster and some other things. In other words, all the modalities we have in our training room, all the different things [he didn't have]. . . . I just thought it would be better [to train in Minnesota]."
Childress said that, when trainer Eric Sugarman went to Florida in February to check out Culpepper's progress, the quarterback agreed to attempt some basic movement drills. To do the drills, Culpepper led Sugarman out of the rehab facility -- and into the parking lot of a Wal-Mart.
"So you can understand where I'm coming from," Childress said. "The Chinese restaurant, the laundromat, then he's in an alley, out the back door and into the Wal-Mart parking lot. I'm like, 'What's wrong with this picture?' . . . This is our franchise quarterback. . . . Is he better served here in the fieldhouse or in the Wal-Mart parking lot?"
In our view, Childress is better served shutting his yap about Culpepper, and then sticking to his vow to do so.
But, you see, the problem could be that the Triangle of Authority is feeling more than a little nervous about the possibility that Culpepper will make them look like a Circlejerk of Fools for trading him away for a second-round pick in the April draft, and so Childress naturally feels compelled to continue to explain in March, April, May, and June the basis for a decision that could end up coming off as a very bad one come September, October, November, December, January, and/or February.
Really, do you think it's a coincidence that Childress broke his promise to not say anything more about Culpepper the day after the NFL announced that Culpepper's new team will be playing in the national spotlight on the two biggest Thursdays of the league year?
We sure don't.
And we also think there's a strong correlation between a man's ability to hold his tongue and his ability to lead others effectively.
But what, you ask, should Childress have done differently? If, as it seems, Culpepper was making poor decisions about the process for rehabbing his surgically repaired knee, how should Childress have made it known?
The answer is easy, friends. The coach, or others in the organization, should have leaked the information on an off-the-record basis to the media. That way, the story would have gotten out, without Childress having to say another public word about the situation.
One last note on this. Moving forward, Childress needs to keep in mind that Culpepper is now the property of another team. Under league rules, Childress really shouldn't be saying anything at all about him. So maybe the league office will do us all a favor and remind Brad that the time has come to zip his lip regarding the guy that he traded away. ​

 

[Mile High Fin]

Guys, get this straight:
From the article, Saban clearly did NOT tamper.

He DIDN'T talk to Culpepper before given permission!
And since Culpepper has no agent, Saban didn't talk to an agent about Culpepper either!

There was NO TAMPERING here....




Analogy:
If I say I'd like to break the law, but I never follow through, then I haven't broken any laws....

 

[PhinsRock]

Everybody in the NFL tampers IMHO, Saban's just honest about it. and he really didn't tamper, legally.

And lets try to figure out a way to KEEP Childress shooting his mouth off about DC, less time for the idot to coach his own team, which is really what he SHOULD be doing. Really this guy needs to get over it.

In Saban We Trust!

 

[Dolphan5876]

Analogy:
If I say I'd like to break the law, but I never follow through, then I haven't broken any laws.... But if you talked to someone else about your intention to break the law, is that not "Conspiring to braek the law?

 

[OneHondo]

Its sour grapes because Childress is bitter that Culpepper wasn't anxious to stay with the Vikings and play for him.

 

[KevInMotion]

Analogy:
If I say I'd like to break the law, but I never follow through, then I haven't broken any laws....

simple and blunt, and its the truth

 

[Redneck Friend]

well, no matter what the intention was or what coulda,
woulda, shouda......

...if i'm going to give up a 2nd round pic for a guy who
just blew out EVERY ligament in his knee, i would want
a word or to with the player and also see how he is doing
physically!!

the vikes obviously think he is damaged goods and that they
took saban for a ride with this deal. thats why they didn't let
him see or speak with duante before hand.

and nick has taken a VERY big chance with this for sure. it
will probably decide his career with the finz just as fiedler
did for wanny.

only time will tell. lets hope nicks gamble pays off.