Many were surprised when the Alabama Crimson Tide program revealed Wednesday that football coach Nick Saban and athletic director Greg Byrne had tested positive for COVID-19. That included Saban himself, who immediately left the Alabama facility after learning of his positive test.
Saban remotely participated in Alabama’s practice on Wednesday after he returned to his Tuscaloosa home. The coach was able to provide instruction over the phone, and he had access to a video feed that allowed him to observe practice. Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is the presumed man in charge while Saban is away from the team.
“The autonomy part, we haven’t really decided yet,” Saban said when asked how much control Sarkisian would have during the team’s scheduled Saturday game vs. No. 3 Georgia. “But in light of the fact that any coach can test positive, we try to have a protocol in place for if we lost a coach, especially one in a leadership position, who would step in for them. Obviously, Sark’s been a head coach before, and I’m not sure exactly how this is going to play out in terms of when the game comes, whether I can have communication with people or not. We’ll have to research and sort of figure that one out. But we did have a plan for each coach on the staff as to what might happen. We’ve just got to go from there. Just like if we lose a player we have to do the same thing.”
However, it turns out that a NCAA rule will prevent Saban from having any contact with the coaching staff during the game if the coach has to remain quarantined at his house. Saban would be prohibited from communicating with the team or coaches beginning 90 minutes before kickoff until the end of the game. That means no halftime speeches or adjustments from Saban would be allowable under the rule either.
A similar scenario unfolded earlier this season for first-year Florida State head coach Mike Norvell, who tested positive for the coronavirus and missed his team’s game against Miami. Norvell was involved in preparation from his home during the week, but he was not able to have contact with his Seminoles staff in the 90-minute period before the game and during the contest.
“I didn’t see anything different about practice,” Saban said after his Wednesday absence from the field. “I got to see a lot more because when you look at it wide-angle you see a lot more than when you’re just standing on the field. But I thought the intensity was good, the focus was good, the players were trying to get it right. So I didn’t really see anything any different. I can tell you, we’ve had a lot worse practices when I’m there, so maybe it was a good thing that I wasn’t there.”
Saban will be hoping that can continue if he isn’t able to participate at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.
