Nick Saban yelled at Will Muschamp's mother.

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SPLIT WITH SABAN Another factor in his abrupt departure from the NFL was a break in the respect between him and Saban. Saban's gruff manner - "he's never going to be your friend," one former assistant said this spring - and unwillingness to give Muschamp full control of the defense contributed to the rift. One example of the deterioration between the two was Saban reprimanding Muschamp's mother over the phone during the off-season. While Will Muschamp and his wife were on vacation in the Bahamas, his parents, Larry and Sally Muschamp, were babysitting their children in Coral Springs when an angry Saban called the house. He needed a particular document from Muschamp, and ordered Sally to fax it to him. Not finding a fax machine in her son's home, Sally drove to an office supply store to send it. Thirty minutes later, Saban had not received it and called again. He had given her the wrong number, Sally said. "Where's that fax?" Saban barked. "Get it to me now." Larry, by far the more easygoing of Muschamp's parents, was irate. "That son of a bitch," he said. "I'm surprised she didn't say, 'When it gets there, put it where the sun don't shine.' She didn't. But that's Saban. He and Will got crosswise in Miami for whatever reason." Muschamp's parents denied rumors that Saban forced him out, and both Muschamp and Saban said they had no major problems while with the Dolphins.

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Saban admitted his lone regret was that he did not grant Muschamp authority over the defense while with the Dolphins. In 2005, Muschamp's title was Assistant Head Coach for Defense, but Saban called the plays. He brought in Dom Capers as defensive coordinator the following year, prompting Muschamp's exit. "Dom did a wonderful job, but Will probably deserved to get that job," Saban said in May. They seemed to mend any wounds two years later when Saban was at Alabama. After losing to Muschamp's Auburn team in the 2007 Iron Bowl, Saban sought him out on the field and hugged him, "which is unusual for Coach Saban," Larry noted. "They've been good friends ever since." Mike Muschamp, Will's oldest brother, added, "If you ask Will for the guys who had the most influence on him, I think Nick would be the first guy he'd talk about."

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