Jimbo Fisher blasts Nick Saban over NIL allegations: 'Some people think they're God'

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher doesn't have Twitter like Deion Sanders, but he didn't wait long to respond to accusations from Nick Saban that the Aggies bought every player.

Saban spoke Wednesday at an event promoting the World Games 2022 Birmingham and called out Fisher and the Aggies.

"We were second in recruiting last year," Saban said. "A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness. We didn’t buy one player. But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it."

Fisher held a press conference Thursday morning and responded firmly.

"It's a shame that we have to do this," Fisher said. "It's really despicable. It's despicable that somebody can say something about somebody, more importantly 17-year-old kids. You're taking shots at 17-year-old kids and their families, that they broke state laws."

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Fisher said Texas A&M never bought players.

"It's despicable that a reputable head coach can come out and say this when he doesn't get his way or things don't go his way," Fisher continued. "The narcissistic in him doesn't allow those things to happen. It's ridiculous, when he's not on top."

The Aggies landed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2022 according to the 247Sports Composite, right after defeating Alabama in the regular season. Fisher became the first former Saban assistant to defeat the coach in October.

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"Some people think they're God," Fisher said. "Go dig into how God did his deal. You might find out about a guy, a lot of things you don't want to know. We build him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past or anybody who has ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to know about what he does and how he does it. It's despicable."

Fisher said go ask all the people who worked for him to find out exactly what he is all about.

"My dad always told me this: When people show you who they are, believe them," Fisher said. "He's showing you who he is."

Fisher said he hasn't had any contact with Saban, but the Alabama coach has tried to call.

Fisher said he's not going to take the call.

"We're done," Fisher said. "He showed you who he is. He's the greatest ever, huh?"

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Jimbo Fisher blasts Nick Saban over NIL, recruiting allegations