Alabama head coach Nick Saban expects everything to go smoothly on game days, and that doesn’t just include what happens on the field.
He prefers to answer his mandated halftime questions and quickly make his way to the locker room for mid-game prep. So, as you probably could have predicted, Saban wasn’t too pleased when some technical issues with ESPN’s headphones kept him on the sidelines longer than he would have preferred.
The awkward scene took place during Friday’s Rose Bowl Game between Alabama and Notre Dame when Saban was handed some headphones for his social-distanced interview with Allison Williams. As Williams started her question, Saban threw his hands up out of annoyance and said, “I can’t hear you.”
Then, he ripped off the headphones to try to hear the question again through the stadium noise.
Nick Saban has no time for technical difficulties pic.twitter.com/MTOm00o5o7
— Riley Michel (@rileymichel) January 1, 2021
When he couldn’t hear the question that time, Saban was about ready to walk away from the interview. But he was assured that the headphone audio was fixed and reluctantly put the headphones back on to hear the question. He was so annoyed.
This is going to become a meme. It seems inevitable, really.
“What?"
“What?" pic.twitter.com/vT7GQQlpgo
— Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) January 1, 2021
My father trying on headphones at best buy pic.twitter.com/aZ5E4BAduL
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) January 1, 2021
"I can't hear you, so quit askin'." https://t.co/7nDfL82OcW
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) January 1, 2021
The Rose Bowl halftime interview put up more of a challenge to Saban than Notre Dame did in 30 minutes of game time.
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