Despite Lane Kiffin's request of watching Alabama in the National Championship game against Clemson on the sidelines or even in the press box, he'll reportedly watch from Boca Raton, Florida:
The two went back and forth in the media before things eventually settled down:
It didn't take long for Saban to respond, and his answer was pretty much exactly what the Alabama faithful have come to expect from him:
Saban showed frustration with Kiffin after a poor Peach Bowl performance (per Business Insider):
"I think the way we went about the last game, whether it was the preparation, the practice, being able to focus on what we need to do, for our team, relative to the distractions that occur when you are trying to hire a staff [at FAU], and recruit at another place, and all these types of things," Saban said. "Hey, Lane did the best he could. It's a difficult circumstance. We certainly wish him well. We both had a meeting [Sunday] and again this morning, that we thought this would be in the best interest and mutually agreed for both parties to move on."
ESPN's Brett McMurphy shared more details on Kiffin's departure, and it's not pretty.
Saban seems grateful for everything Kiffin did at Alabama, but with the stakes this high, Alabama can't afford to have a coach with one foot out the door.
