Nick Saban on his Texas A&M comments: 'I didn't say anybody did anything wrong'

DESTIN, Fla. — The first question Nick Saban received while speaking with reporters Tuesday ahead of the SEC spring meetings was, of course, about his comments that sparked a public spat with Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher. 

Alabama's football coach said on May 18 that the Aggies bought their entire recruiting class. 

"I didn't really say that anybody did anything wrong," Saban said Tuesday. The reporter who asked the question re-emphasized Saban's comments. 

"I didn't say that anybody did anything wrong. OK?" Saban said. "I've said everything I'm going to say about this." 

Saban added that he should have never mentioned any individual institutions when he spoke at an event in Birmingham that day. He apologized on May 19 for singling anyone out. 

On Tuesday in Florida, Saban reiterated his hope that name, image and likeness national standards could be created.

"Some kind of uniform name, image and likeness standard that supports some kind of equitable, national competition, I think is really, really important in college athletics, in college football," he said.

The day after Saban's initial comments, Fisher held a news conference and attacked the Alabama coach. Fisher called him a narcissist and said maybe Saban should have been slapped as a child. 

"Some people think they're God," Fisher said on May 19. "Go dig into how God did his deal, you may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don't want to know. We built him up to be the czar of football? Go dig into his past or anybody that's ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out, what he does and how he does it. And it's despicable. It really is." 

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The two coaches later received a public reprimand from the SEC for violating SEC sportsmanship bylaws. 

Saban is not engaging in any more back-and-forth. 

"I have no problems with Jimbo," Saban said. "I have no problems with Jimbo at all." 

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly