Alabama Crimson Tide

Report: Saban says 20 percent of fans 'disrespectful,' 'don't get it'

Published Sep. 29, 2015 2:03 p.m. ET

foxsports

Nick Saban has never been afraid to speak his mind, and the Alabama coach did a lot of that during a lengthy interview with David Feherty that will air Wednesday evening on the Golf Channel.

Among the topics discussed were how Saban deals with the pressures of his job and the criticism that comes along with coaching the Crimson Tide. Saban said he doesn’t concern himself with what many fans say, because a significant portion of them are “bad fans” anyway.

“I just think that in every sport, there’s about 20 percent bad fans,” Saban said, per Luke Kerr-Dineen of For the Win. “They don’t get it. They’re disrespectful. They do things and say things that don’t really need to be said; that aren’t helpful; that don’t reflect the image of what college football is all about, or even what sports is all about. You should appreciate the competition.”

That’s probably true, and 20 percent might even be a conservative estimate.

Among the 20 percent Saban was referring to could be fans like this that he blasted a couple of years back.

Alabama is entering its game this weekend against Georgia as an underdog for the first time in more than six seasons. If they can’t pull the upset, that 20 percent might grow in Saban’s eyes.

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