Plaxico Burress Goes off on College Coach Nick Saban in Twitter Rant

Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban grabbed headlines at SEC media day Wednesday when he spoke out about the NFL draft process, which caused one of his former players to go on a Twitter rant.

Saban believes that NFL draft grades should not be handed out to juniors during the season because they could affect how players approach remaining games. The coach believed that some of his Crimson Tide underclassmen played differently against Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, a 42-35 loss, than they had all season.

Whether or not Saban's comments are accurate, they didn't sit well with some people. Some saw them as an excuse for the loss—which he would later clarify wasn't the case, per Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman—while others thought the coach was out of line for questioning his players.

One of Saban's former players, Plaxico Burress, believed the coach was being hypocritical. 

Burress, who played under Saban at Michigan State from 1997 to 1999, went on to become the No. 8 overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft. The Spartans wide receiver went through the process of jumping from college to the NFL with Saban serving as an advisor.

After hearing what Saban had to say about the NFL draft process, Burress went off on his former college coach on Twitter:

Update from Monday, July 20

Saban went on ESPN's First Take on Monday and addressed Burress' rant, per AL.com's Michael Casagrande:

"

Plaxico Burress was a great player for us. He was a fantastic player. He had a great career. He made the right decision to go out for the draft. He was a first-round draft pick. He had a great career as a pro player. I'm proud of what Plaxico Burress has been able to accomplish.

I've never knowingly told a player any information that I get, I get from someone else. And I can't even remember the conversation. I actually left Michigan State right after the Penn State game. I didn't stay for the bowl game when I went to LSU and that was Plax's senior year. We're proud of what he's been able to do and we're happy to see him have as much success as he's had.

"

—End of Update—

[Twitter]