Saban Officially Alabama Coach - BankRoll Tide!

Last year, players on the teams participating in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl received a watch, wallet, iPod, and Chick-Fil-A calendar, and a few small souvenirs in their gift package. Not bad for an above-board gift to a college athlete, I suppose. However, if Nick Saban finds himself in the Chick-Fil-A bowl this upcoming season, he'll receive a bonus from the University of Alabama of $90,000.

That is just one of the many terms in the 32 page, eight year, $32 million contract being finalized between Nick Saban and the University of Alabama. Technically speaking, his base salary will only be $225,000 a year. I assume this is designed to fall in line with salary limitations on state employees. However, his contract also includes a "personal service fee" for his radio show which begins at $3.275 million in the first year and escalates to $3.975 per year in the final years of the contract. He also gets use of Alabama's private jet, a 15 seat luxury skybox, and a $50,000 bonus if the graduation rate of his football team is in the top half of the SEC (way to reach for the stars, Tide.) If he's fired for engaging strippers in aggressive sex while they scream "Roll Tide!," or if he flees for another coaching job, he forfeits the remainder of his contract. However if he's fired because he doesn't give Tide fans the win-loss record they were hoping for, he's entitled to the entire 32 mil.

Meanwhile, Alabama quarterback Jimmy Barnes is reportedly transferring to a Div 1-AA school because of the treatment he's received from Nick Saban. According to his father, Barnes was not willing to "give up his dignity" to fall in line with Saban's regime. Saban of course was dismissive of the entire ordeal. Yeah, like the guy in the $4,000 suit has time to deal with a 3rd string quarterback who will never see the field. Come on!