As he prepares to get his final Coronavirus test result — hoping that it’s negative — Nick Saban is very proud of the medical staff he has at the University of Alabama. With Jeff Allen as the leader of the group and the Crimson Tide’s Director of Sports Medicine, Saban has received two straight negative tests and needs one more to be cleared to coach against Georgia.
During his interview on ESPN’s College Football GameDay, Saban said he is fine emotionally and is not sick at all. It has been different for him working remotely since Wednesday, but his presence was still involved with talking to coaches, players and team managers on Zoom while preparing for the Bulldogs.
He said the Tide had a protocol in place for any situation where a leadership coach had to miss a game; however, he is hopeful to be at Bryant-Denny Stadium for this marquee matchup.
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Saban wants to see Alabama’s defense clean up its mental errors and match the Bulldogs’ physicality.
When it comes to the team doctors keeping everyone healthy, Saban has full confidence in the staff.
“We tested our players every day for the last several months,” he said. “The fact that we had 240 tests in the last two days that were negative, not one positive, I had actually tested negative Sunday, Monday, Tuesday… Wednesday it popped, Thursday, Friday, negative. So, I have trust in the doctors and medical people who make these protocols safe for all of us. Our players have done a good job of practicing social distancing, and this experience has made me have a lot of respect for what we should do and all of us should do relative to social distancing, wearing a mask, washing your hands and we’re going to continue to do that.”
For the players, they have used the idea of not having Saban on the field as a rallying cry.
Everyone was prepared to roll with Steve Sarkisian in Saban’s place, and Saban has always been one for turning distractions or disruptions into positive things. According to ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi, Saban’s final test will return by this afternoon.
A negative result clears him to be on the sidelines to face 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.
