Nick Saban, Coach
Alabama Crimson Tide
Dear Coach Saban,
In September this year, you said:
"I know that most good things come out of love and respect and compassion and unifying people. Most bad things come out of hate and dislike and deceit. Hopefully we can focus on the above and not the below."
This is an appeal for you to stand up these good things by supporting Doug Jones against Roy Moore in the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate on December
Many analysts agree you are the greatest coach in NCAA history, while your national championship teams also place high in national academic rankings. You are deservedly an icon in your state and throughout the country. The New York Times called you Alabama's "spiritual leader."
Much of your success is attributable to the African American players you recruited for your teams. Up to 80% of Alabama's starting football players are African American.
You keep a low profile, and don’t follow political issues, especially during the season:
"I'm just a football coach," Saban said. "I don't keep up with all that stuff as much as maybe everybody else does, especially during the season, especially when we're playing games."
But you did address the recent kneeling controversy in characteristic low-key and sensitive manner:
"To me, some of the things that we do in our country when I grew up, they were unifying events and it's a little painful to see that those things are not so right now," Saban said. "But I also respect everyone's rights not to be censored in terms of the way they express their beliefs. I'm just a coach. I don't have the answers to all the questions.
You have also been very active in the Jason Foundation, which is dedicated to the prevention of youth suicide through educational and awareness programs, and were instrumental in getting Alabama to pass the Jason Flatt Act: an act requiring annual suicide awareness prevention education for K-12 school personnel.
And around the time Michael Sam became the first openly gay player drafted by the NFL, you said if a gay player joined your team.
I would expect everybody to be very respectful of what is private for most people and treat that person with dignity and respect and respect them for being a good teammate and being a part of our team and doing the things that require them to be a good person on our team," Saban said. "I can't speak for everybody, but that's what would be my expectation for the people that we control in our organization and on our team."
You are, in short, a mensch.
*************
In a month, Alabama will elect a new Senator. One candidate is a distinguished lawyer who brought to Justice two of the Klansmen who killed four young girls in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing.
The other is Roy Moore.
Moore is a proud, unrepentant racist and now accused pedophile, charged with molesting a 14 year old girl — a girl who says his actions led to a suicide attempt when she was 16. He is an outspoken birther, calls Asian-Americans “yellows” and native Americans “reds,” said gay marriage caused America to become “the focus of evil in the modern world,” blamed America’s “godlessness” for 9/11 and compared the Koran to Mein Kampf. Just this week, he said “transgenders don't have rights" and previously said they were mentally ill. In stark contrast with your words, he said kneeling during the anthem is against the law.
There is no doubt which of the candidates
Shows “love and respect and compassion and unifying people.”
Represents “hate and dislike and deceit.”
Treats people with “dignity and respect.”
Respects the rights of African Americans.
Would treat a gay player with dignity and respect.
Has always acted with decency in his personal life.
I don’t know you, but based on what I’ve read, almost everything about Roy Moore is anathema to your core beliefs. You have a golden opportunity to make a difference by standing up for those beliefs and supporting Doug Jones for Senate.
Thank you for considering this.
Roll Tide.
Bethesda 1971.