Nick Saban probably gave his most stirring, emotional presser in a long time on Monday — following Alabama’s victory over Mississippi State.
In understanding that Tua Tagovailoa will miss the remainder of the season with a dislocated right hip, the Crimson Tide’s head coach said the entire program ‘is hurting.’
RELATED: Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has successful hip surgery
Tagovailoa sustained the injury in the second quarter versus the Bulldogs, as the Tide carried a 35-7 lead. Saban decided to stick with him for a two-minute drive and the native Hawaiian was driven to the ground on a play.
He not only sustained a bloody nose and landed directly on his right knee, but he also felt intense pain from his hip.
He was carted off the field, transported via helicopter to St. Vincent’s Medical Center (Birmingham, Ala.) to get his hip stabilized and recently, he was flown to see a specialist in Houston, Texas to have a major surgery.
While Dr. Cain and his staff ‘expect’ for him to make a full recovery, Saban was very emotional in his opening statement about what Tagovailoa means to the program.
“I feel bad. I’m hurting,” Saban said on Tagovailoa’s injury.
“I call him on Saturday night to cheer him up, he cheers me up. I called him last night, because I have been sitting in that room for 10 hours watching film and I call to cheer him up… He cheers me up. So, this is a guy that has a great spirit. He is very positive about everything he does and the effect that he has on other people… He is a great ambassador for college football. I don’t think anyone of us can say we won’t miss that spirit. The first thing he said to me last night when I told him ‘good luck in your surgery tomorrow,’ was I can’t wait to get back and see the game on Saturday.”
Saban said Tagovailoa is one of four to five players that truly touched his heart in his 13 years coaching at Alabama. He has full confidence in what Mac Jones can do moving forward, but he knows the team lost a great leader and its playing for him.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
