Paul Finebaum has often been one to sing the praises of Alabama and Nick Saban over the years, but he is taking a clear stand here: he thinks Nick Saban is in the wrong over the handling of the Maurice Smith fiasco.
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"I just don't understand it," Finebaum said in an appearance Friday morning on ESPN's Sportscenter. "This isn't the Nick Saban that I've watched for so many years, and frankly, admired, and it just seems very petty and small. Many of Nick Saban's followers and friends are surprised."
Finebaum's biggest issue with Saban blocking Smith's transfer to Georgia is that Smith is not a normal transfer. Smith has completed his graduate requirements, and in most cases, would be free to transfer anywhere where he is accepted into graduate school. He would be eligible to play for his new school immediately under those requirements.
"Nothing has changed," Saban said in a press conference on Thursday. "We support the SEC rule of not granting guys releases to go to other SEC schools. It has been our policy here not to do that unless there was a special circumstance."
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Those special circumstances are what allowed wide receiver Chris Black to transfer to Missouri earlier this year. Saban says that Black's scholarship was not renewed, and that they allowed the transfer in his case.
Finebaum, however, did not like Saban using this policy for the Smith case. Finebaum feels that the ultimate goal for a school is to graduate their players, and that they shouldn't be punishing Smith for completely all of his requirements in a timely manner.
"I wish he would reverse it," Finebaum said. "I know he's hiding behind this policy, but that's not the Nick Saban I know."
Smith is apparently eligible to transfer to any non-SEC school. However, the defensive back has made it clear that he wishes to transfer to Georgia.
Overall, no one is really winning this situation. Alabama is losing the PR battle, and Smith is losing because he isn't allowed to transfer to the school that he wishes to attend. Hopefully this can get resolved in a timely manner.
