Saban: I'd Recruit a Gay Player

Say what you want to say about Nick Saban, but he is not afraid to take on controvsial issues such as gay players.

Saban said yesterday at the SEC meetings that he wouldn't have a problem recruiting a gay player to Alabama.

Some people may have a problem with the wording, but you get where he's coming from. Saban has never been one of those coaches who limited himself on the type of players he'd recruit.

So it's refreshing to see the biggest name in college football take a stance for gay players, despite the fact that it probably won't be a popular position in the state where he coaches.

Alabama is not exactly known for being the most open-minded, so I'm sure there will be a handful of Crimson Tide fans who will be turned off by the idea of a gay player wearing the colors. But there's hope:

Saban is following in the footsteps of another popular Crimson Tide coach who took an unpopular stance at a time when it wasn't healthy in these parts to go against the grain. 

Alabama and the rest of the SEC were late to integrating their football teams. Bear Bryant took the bull by the horns -- so to speak -- and made his point back in the early 1970s.

Bryant had no choice. It was either get with the times or be forever behind. He chose to be progressive, just like Saban.

And really, if the guy plays well, who cares what he does in his private life? Ask Missouri.

It may not be a popular move with some people, but in the end all that matters to both is winning, and that trumps everything. Including sexuality.