re: James Franklin calls Nick Saban "Nicky Satan"?

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Vanderbilt football coach James Franklin said he phoned Alabama’s Nick Saban on Wednesday to apologize for referring to the four-time national championship coach as “Nicky Satan.”

Franklin, who made the reference Monday at a Macon (Ga.) Central High sports banquet, said it was meant strictly as a joke. Video of the speech has since gone viral.

“Obviously, tremendous respect for Coach Saban,” Franklin said. “I just got off the phone with him. Tremendous respect for them. I’ve got tremendous respect for what they’ve done. Everybody is chasing them. The guy has won three or four national championships.

“(I was) really talking about the work ethic that he has a reputation for, and that we’re going to outwork them. I made a joke. And in today’s society with all the media and social media and people with tape recorders and things like that, that doesn’t come off that way. I know people have tremendous pride in Alabama, and their fans are fanatical. So I understand. But it was a joke and I didn’t mean to offend anybody.”

Franklin said that Saban was “good” with the situation.

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