Look: Definitive proof Nick Saban has the refs on the Alabama payroll

Why on earth was a referee carrying an Alabama football duffle bag at halftime of the Cotton Bowl? Is Nick Saban paying the refs?

Folks who are looking for a reason to believe that the Alabama Crimson Tide are getting help from the refs at the Cotton Bowl might have more ammo for some conspiracy theories.

Headed into halftime of the College Football Playoff game against the Cincinnati Bearcats, one referee was spotted with a large crimson duffle bag that said “Alabama football” on it.

That’s bound to make some folks online upset!

But seriously, is this proof that Nick Saban actually has refs on the payroll? Are these referees actually actively supporting the Crimson Tide?

Let’s pump the brakes a little bit.

Alabama football: Twitter sounds off after photo of referee carrying Alabama duffle bag at Cotton Bowl goes viral

While fans of the Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs and most folks across the SEC would like to believe that this is the case, it might be time to take a step back and take the tinfoil hats off for a second.

These refs are from the Pac-12. These folks almost certainly have no tangible connection to Tuscaloosa or anything along those lines.

That duffle bag being carried? That’s probably not a bag of cash he’s holding. It’s almost certainly the game balls that Alabama brought and put in there. Why is the ref hauling it around? To prevent any allegation of tampering.

Are the optics bad? Absolutely! They’re not great! Is this proof of a conspiracy that the Crimson Tide are actually cheating their way to a championship? No way.

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