Report: Daunte Culpepper, Zach Thomas tried to fight former Miami Dolphins head coach Nick Saban

Published by

Ryan Ward

5 years ago

Great head coaches on the collegiate level sometimes struggle to have similar success once they’ve made the transition to the NFL. That was the case for legendary University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban when he took the job with the Miami Dolphins.

There’s no question that Saban’s coaching style works with college athletes, as he’s now won seven championships at the collegiate level.

However, two prominent former NFL players, Zach Thomas and Daunte Culpepper, weren’t happy with him in Miami.

“Nick Saban, the reason why he didn’t make it in the NFL, Daunte Culpepper tried to fight him one day and a security guy stepped in,” Jay Glazer explained. “I think the final straw was they questioned Zach Thomas’ toughness and Zach almost kicked his butt. That just doesn’t work on this level.”

Ironically enough, Saban has a close relationship with arguably the greatest NFL head coach of all time in Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots.

Although Belichick has rubbed some players the wrong way over the years, there’s no questioning his resume and impact. The longtime Patriots head coach has six Super Bowl titles to his credit as a head coach and two more as a defensive coordinator.

Saban, however, wasn’t able to motivate players in the same way in the NFL.

Ryan Ward

Ryan is a veteran sportswriter with nearly a decade of experience covering the NFL. From interviewing current stars like Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan to legends Tom Flores and Ty Law, Ryan has done it all while covering the league on a daily basis. Follow him on Twitter @RyanWardLA.