Nick Saban: The way Alabama players reacted after Rose Bowl loss 'contributed' to decision to retire

Nick Saban was not thrilled with the way his team reacted to losing the Rose Bowl.

Alabama lost 27-20 to eventual national champion Michigan in the College Football Playoff on Jan. 1. The overtime loss came after Jalen Milroe’s fourth-down run was stopped at the line of scrimmage. Milroe took off toward the end zone after a low snap on what appeared to be a designed run/pass option.

The game turned out to be the final one of Saban’s career as he shocked the college football world by announcing his retirement less than two weeks later. In a story recounting his decision-making process to retire and Alabama’s ensuing coaching search, Saban told ESPN the way some players on his team acted immediately after the loss and in the ensuing days “contributed” to his decision to hang it up after the 2023 season.

From ESPN:

"I want to be clear that wasn't the reason, but some of those events certainly contributed," Saban said of his decision to retire. "I was really disappointed in the way that the players acted after the game. You gotta win with class. You gotta lose with class. We had our opportunities to win the game and we didn't do it, and then showing your ass and being frustrated and throwing helmets and doing that stuff ... that's not who we are and what we've promoted in our program."