Before Super Bowl XIII between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, Cowboys Linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson took a swipe at Steelers Quarterback Terry Bradshaw.
He said Bradshaw “couldn’t spell ‘cat’ if you spotted him the ‘c’ and the ‘a’.”
Bradshaw, not known for being the sharpest, was offended by the remark and held a grudge for almost two decades until Henderson apologized.
But Bradshaw isn’t doing much to dispel the long-held stigma when he makes absurd comments like the ones about Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.
Bradshaw foolishly took issue with Saban’s big contract.
From USA Today:
Alabama’s Nick Saban is the highest paid college football coach — set to haul in more than $11 million next season — as well as one of the highest-paid public employees in the country, according to USA TODAY Sports’ salary research database.
That doesn’t sit too well with four-time Super Bowl champion Terry Bradshaw, who bluntly called the Crimson Tide coach’s income “shameful” during a segment on the Paul Finebaum Show while debating Phyllis, a die-hard ‘Bama fan.
Bradshaw started by explaining that Saban’s contract is the “entire athletic budget” at Louisiana Tech (Bradshaw’s alma mater, and the budget is actually $22 million).
“The entire budget,” Bradshaw said. “That’s shameful. Shameful!”
But Bradshaw didn’t make the often-noted point that the NCAA student-athletes who have helped Saban win four titles in Tuscaloosa don’t earn a cent outside of their scholarships. He just thought it was way too much money.
“Twelve million. Think about it,” Bradshaw said. “I could use a little bit of that money to help pay off my trailer house.”
Bradshaw also said retired college coach Steve Spurrier is a better coach based on personality.
“If he has the personality of Steve Spurrier, then I would like him,” Bradshaw said. “Spurrier, now you’re talking about a great coach. That’s a great coach, Steve Spurrier, not Saban. Saban hates people. The man doesn’t even like people.”
Considering Bradshaw gets paid seven-figures to talk football one day a week for a few hours for less than half the year, he shouldn’t begrudge anyone making large sums of money in the free market.
Saban gets paid a boatload of money because he adds value to the program.
Prior to Saban’s arrival, Alabama had languished in mediocrity for almost twenty seasons.
Soon after taking the job, Saban turned Alabama into the preeminent program in college football, winning four national championships in ten seasons.
Thriving programs bring in a wellspring of donations to the athletics and the schools as whole, leading to lucrative television deals for their conference, and also fund entire athletic departments.
Without football (and men’s basketball), programs like women’s tennis wouldn’t exist.
Bradshaw would be better off saying Saban’s contract is “shameful” simply because he doesn’t like him.
It would still be dumb, just not as dumb.