The reality of what just happened is setting in now that the tornado of dust has somewhat settled. Adult men worth millions of dollars getting up in front of a camera and publicly shit on each other to an extent not seen in a long time is going to end the fun soon. The NCAA is not going to let accusations like these slide, and there will be consequences.
The backlash from Jimbo Fisher and Deion sanders after the Alabama coach accused them of buying their players through the NIL seems to have made Nick Saban realize this, as he walked back his comments in part. He wasn't implying that they were breaking any actual rules, but it was a shot at their recruiting abilities, and it broke the fragile decorum that was surrounding the new era of the sport.
Within the confines of decorum, coaches could spout off as much as they wanted about what they thought should be done about NIL, about the transfer portal and about the changing nature of college football. To accuse them of using NIL to an advantage that was not available to other schools crossed a line. Knowing Jimbo's temper, I can't think of a better way to say it. His rival and former assistant have ruined everything.
On Thursday, he admitted that he was wrong to single out certain schools, but still stood behind his disdain for the state of NIL. No shit, dude. Jackson State's Deion Sanders was also called out by name in the initial comments. He implied that they were breaking the code. With the code broken by the biggest name in the sport, there is no longer any gentlemen's agreement, no matter how tense it was. At least it existed.
The damage has been done by the reprimands from the SEC. Fisher told the world that, while he and other current head coaches were working under Saban, Alabama was breaking NCAA recruiting rules. It is one of the most damning accusations you can face. What if they decide to investigate? How many coaches are still on the sideline? How will Alabama's legacy and national championship be affected by these kinds of violations? This is the equivalent of a nuclear bomb if these coaches are everywhere and everyone is not talking about it.
Lane Kiffin has been enjoying his popcorn. Malzahn is making fun of himself on the social networking site. The introduction to conference life is being made by Brian Kelly. Greg Sankey lost about five years off of his life in the past 24 hours as he tries to stamp out a wildfire, barring the rest of the SEC coaches from talking to the media for the time being, although The Athletic got a few great quotes from Kiffin before the ban went
The ever-weakened NCAA finds itself in a huge dilemma as former SEC football players confirm that their friends and themselves were given things like cars and cash during their recruiting periods.
To address the problem that has been at hand, their issues with how players and schools are choosing to take advantage of NIL opportunities, or to use their limited investigative resources to go after Saban and Alabama, as well as the rest of the powerful coaches. While Thursday was obviously the result of a longstanding personal feud boiling over, Fisher's comments can be taken lightly by the press and the governing body, as he repeatedly told the gathered crowd to dig into.
If this happens, it will be a miracle and a testament to the place of the sport in the NCAA. Fisher will go down with his ship and take anyone he can down with him, and the first person he will take down with him is Alabama's Nick Saban. Jimbo may be over, but this is just beginning.
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