Nick Saban flipped out on the sidelines during Alabama’s season opener against Duke on Saturday after his team was issued a sideline warning when a member of his coaching staff celebrated a play just a little too hard and stepped on the field.
Crimson Tide defensive back Trevon Diggs picked off Duke quarterback Quentin Harris late in the third quarter, and when the team was dealt a warning, Saban lashed out a a referee over the call, despite Alabama having a 35-3 lead against the Blue Devils.
In response, Saban was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, costing his team 13 yards as it moved back half the distance to the goal line to its own 13-yard line.
Turns out, that was not the only punishment the Alabama coach received for his behavior. As he explained during his press conference Wednesday, his wife, who he lovingly calls Miss Terry, had her own form of discipline.
Saban explained:
“Miss Terry made me run on the treadmill for 20 minutes. The leadership group had a meeting, and they wanted to implement disciplinary action but it kind of got overruled. But I’m not proud of it. I really am not.
“In all honesty, there was somebody in the white. It wasn’t a player. It was a coach. I thought they were upset because the players were celebrating a good play, and that sort of fueled my reaction. But anyway, it is what it is. I’ll learn from it just like the players learn from their mistakes.”
Saban’s full press conference from Wednesday is below, with his explanation about Miss Terry’s penalty starting at the 8:50 mark:
Alabama went on to beat Duke, 42-3, and will play New Mexico State at home Saturday in Week 2.
