Support for Nick Saban and his family is coming from everywhere, including the National Football League.
On Wednesday, major news came from the University of Alabama as Saban and athletic director Greg Byrne both received positive test results for Coronavirus. Upon getting the information at 1:00 p.m., Saban alerted the coaches and players and went home to isolate himself. Despite the positive test, he has not shown any symptoms for the virus and said he feels fine.
With him being away from the program, Steve Sarkisian (Alabama’s offensive coordinator) is running the operation in Saban’s absence.
The Crimson Tide will host Georgia on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, and one person who wants to see Saban recover strong is a good friend and a six-time Super Bowl Champion.
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Bill Belichick has been the head coach of the New England Patriots since 2000. His first stop as a head coach came in 1991 with the Cleveland Browns and he had Saban on his staff at defensive coordinator. The two had fun coaching together, competing together, talking football and building a culture for the Browns.
Regardless of having different views at times, the two shared a common goal: a winning mindset.
Belichick coached the Browns for five years (1991-95) and had Saban for four of them.
Both men were featured in a documentary called “The Art of Coaching,” and Belichick was always seen in the middle with Saban in football conversations at Alabama’s Pro Day.
Seeing his friend receive a positive COVID-19 test prompted Belichick to send well wishes to Saban for a speedy and complete recovery.
Bill Belichick sends well wishes to @AlabamaFTBL HC Nick Saban after Saban’s positive COVID-19 test. #Patriots | #RollTide | #BillBelichick | #NickSaban | https://t.co/PsDIkSSy3F pic.twitter.com/Yx1W3dJeIP
— NESN (@NESN) October 15, 2020
“I spoke with Coach Saban recently,” Belichick said on Thursday, “We both talked about how much we’ve learned about the situation and some of the challenges that come with it. I know he has been extremely vigilant in putting a great deal of effort into the care of his team and players. He shared that with me and we both talked about things that we’ve done and I have been helpful. I just want to wish him the best.”
As Saban continues to recover and go about PCR testing, Sarkisian will be the head coach for the Tide versus the Bulldogs.
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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.
