Alabama's Nick Saban: Calling out Jimbo Fisher, Deion Sanders 'Was a Mistake'

Alabama head coach Nick Saban was the first one to apologize in what has already shaped up to be an explosion of back-and-forth with Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher and Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders.

It was a mistake and I apologize for that part of it.

He said that he didn't mean to single anyone out. I apologize for that. Is the whole system good for college football?

He reached out to Fisher, who was on his staff at LSU, but never got a response. I feel bad about it.

He expressed his concern with the current climate of name, image and likeness opportunities in college sports, but he didn't say that Texas A&M or Jackson State were doing anything illegal.

The guidelines from the NCAA reiterate that booster-led collectives can't be involved in recruiting. There is a chance that antitrust lawsuits and a focus on the future will prevent retroactive punishments for schools if they violate the bye.

On Wednesday, he made headlines when he told reporters that A&M bought every player on their team. A deal was made for name, image and likeness. We did not buy one player. I don't know if we will be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it.

Jackson State paid a really good Division I player a million dollars last year to come to school. The paper had it in it. They bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it.

The Alabama coach did not single out the player, but the 5-star prospect responded to the comments.

Travis Hunter @TravisHunterJr

I got A mil?😂But my mom still stay in a 3 bed room house with five kids 🤣

His coach did the same.

COACH PRIME @DeionSanders

You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow. I was & awakened by my son @ShedeurSanders that sent me the article stating that WE PAYED @TravisHunterJr a Million to play at @GoJSUTigersFB ! We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE.

They were not the only ones who criticized Saban after his comments.

The suggestions were despicable, Fisher told reporters. We are shooting at 17-year-old kids. We didn't buy anyone. When things don't go his way or he doesn't get his way. You should dig into the past. It is despicable. It is personal to us. I know the guy. Really well.

He said that some people think they are God. How did God do his deal? A lot of things you don't want to know about a guy. He is built up to be the football czar. Go look into his past.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said that public criticism of any kind does not resolve issues and creates a distraction from seeking solutions for the issues facing college athletics today.

After Texas A&M defeated Alabama last season, they landed the No. 1 overall recruiting class of 2022.

One of the most anticipated games of the season will be between the Alabama and Texas A&M.