Alabama Football: Examining How Nick Saban's Pay Fell by $1.1 Million

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is one of college football's most successful head coaches. He has won three SEC championships and two national championships. He also has this current Alabama team ranked No. 3 in the country, with a chance for another BCS bowl.

So how in the world did he actually lose money? We're not talking about a couple of dollars that the boss forgot to add because you worked a few extra hours of overtime. How about a $1.1 million pay cut?

In this USA Today report, you'll see that Nick Saban made nearly $6 million in 2010, making him the highest paid coach in the FBS by nearly $1 million. Well, this report states that Saban has made $4.8 million this season.

Where in the world did all that money go?

Could Alabama really be ripping Saban off, because if that's the case he should leave right now for Penn State.

All joking aside, Crimson Tide fans really shouldn't be alarmed, because this appears to be just a misunderstanding between the head coach and the university. Last year it appears that he put his gross income, and this year he put his net income, which is the more accurate amount.

“(Saban) doesn’t keep any money from the camps,” athletics department spokesman Doug Walker said October 21. “He distributes it among the people who work the camps. Last year, he understood that he was supposed to put the gross amount. This year, he understood he should put the net."

Saban just signed a new contract with Alabama that keeps him through 2017, a nine-year deal worth just over $40 million. I was never really good at math in school, but that's around $4.4 million a season, which is roughly what was reported for his income this season.

This was all a misunderstanding, and Alabama can now get back to football and worry about more important things.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]

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