Why did Nick Saban retire as Alabama head coach?

Earlier this year, the world of college football was rocked with the news that Nick Saban’s coaching reign had come to an end. Saban, who won seven national championships — more than any major college football coach — and turned Alabama Crimson Tide back into a national powerhouse announced his retirement in January of this year.

“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to me,” Saban said in a statement. “It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way.”

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Those football fans who missed the legendary head coach have been celebrating his return to the game but now in a very different context as Saban has swapped the sideline for the broadcast booth after he confirmed a deal with ESPN which includes his appearance on College GameDay.

Saban was on duty as part of the ESPN “College GameDay” crew for match in College Station, Texas for Week 1 as “GameDay” action saw Notre Dame play Texas A&M on Saturday.

As part if the College Gameday program, Saban touched on some of the reasons for his decision to call time on his coaching career, stating: “I was really disappointed in the way that the players acted after the game. You gotta win with class. You gotta lose with class. We had our opportunities to win the game and we didn’t do it, and then showing your ass and being frustrated and throwing helmets and doing that stuff ... that’s not who we are and what we’ve promoted in our program.”

He added that they players motivations for playing the game were another contributing factor, claiming: “I thought we could have a hell of a team next year, and then maybe 70 or 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I’m going to play because they’re thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to pay me?” Saban told ESPN.