Nick Saban has harsh words for Dolphins doctor who gave Drew Brees’ infamous failed physical
By Josh Hill
Alabama head coach Nick Saban is still bitter about a Dolphins doctor preventing Drew Brees from signing with Miami in 2006.
Some wounds never heal, no matter how much success you end up having.
Nick Saban might be the most successful college football head coach to have ever lived, with seven national championships (and counting), and a legacy in Alabama that will likely remain unmatched for the rest of time.
But it’s always the ones that got away that stick with you the most.
For all of Saban’s success, he’s still internally haunted by his failure in the NFL. He was supposed to turn his national championship-winning success into Super Bowl trophies in the NFL. He was going to be Bill Belichick antimatter, standing in the way of the Patriots dynasty and perhaps altering football history as we know it.
That never happened, though.
Instead, Saban spent two forgettable seasons as Miami Dolphins head coach before leaving to carve out his legacy in Tuscaloosa. Things turned out alright for Saban, but one doctor’s visit could have changed everything.
In a recent interview, Saban confirmed what we’ve all been assuming for years. The Miami Dolphins failing to sign Drew Brees due to a failed physical in 2006 is why he left the NFL.
More than that, Saban ripped the doctor who conducted the physical, which seemingly implies that leaving the NFL for Alabama was not supposed to be the plan and is something he’s still sore about.
Per 247 Sports:
"“So, I decided right then when that happened that we don’t have a quarterback in the NFL, we’re not going to win. I’m getting out of here. I’m not staying here. I’m not going to be responsible for this. That doctor didn’t know his ass from a handful of sand. Drew Brees plays 15 more years, wins a Super Bowl, goes to nine Pro Bowls. And we didn’t take him in Miami, where he wanted to go. Some things you can’t control. When we left there nobody understood why. Well that was why.”"
Saban left the Dolphins in 2006 and won six national championships while making Alabama an elite global sports institution. Miami has made two playoff appearances since Saban left, losing both times in the Wild Card round by double-digit deficits.
What’s notable about the Saban quote isn’t that Brees was the reason he left the NFL. We all pretty much assumed that over the years. Rather, the fact that he’s still clearly bitter about it is an extra twist of the knife for long-suffering Dolphins fans.
Bringing things full circle with a heavy pour of irony is the fact that Miami’s latest hope is quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — the Heisman-winner who made a name for himself by winning a national championship with Nick Saban as part of his Alabama dynasty.