Comedian Shane Gillis says Nick Saban was angry over ‘GameDay’ joke about paying players

In his first season as an analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” Nick Saban showed more of a personality and sense of humor than he did for much of his 17 years as Alabama’s football coach, offering the sorts of smiles and jokes he rarely, if ever, displayed on the Crimson Tide sideline or behind the dais for news conferences.

As Shane Gillis learned, though, there are some things that aren’t a laughing matter to the college football legend.

The popular comedian drew widespread attention during his stint as the celebrity guest-picker on “GameDay” ahead of Notre Dame’s 27-17 victory against Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 20.

That appearance was highlighted by an uncomfortably funny exchange between Gillis and Saban. Earlier in the show, and while Saban was away, Gillis, a Notre Dame fan, said that the Fighting Irish have a chance now in a sport in which players can legally be paid by everyone, adding that it’s “not just the SEC and not Coach Saban” doing so.

Nick Saban and Lee Corso talk on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the College Football Playoff first round game between Ohio State and Tennessee in Columbus, Ohio on Dec. 21, 2024.

When the two were later together behind the desk for the show’s game picks segment, panelist Pat McAfee stirred the metaphorical pot, telling Saban that Gillis accused him of cheating earlier in the program. Gillis didn’t back down from his earlier statement and took it a step further by referring to Saban as “Alabama Jones” for the Indiana Jones-style hat he was wearing that night.

Saban didn’t appear particularly entertained by the back-and-forth, at least not as much as the rest of the “GameDay” set, and as it turns out, he wasn’t.

On the latest episode of Gillis’ podcast, “Matt & Shane’s Secret Podcast,” Gillis offered some…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/comedian-shane-gillis-says-nick-195007409.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-09 19:50:00

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