by Fitzgerald Cecilio

Atlanta, GA

Alabama coach Nick Saban expressed disappointment and sadness regarding comments made by former assistant coach Tim Davis, who called him the "devil himself".

"I try to do right by the people that work for me," Saban told the media during a promotional stop at Turner Field. "It's a tough, demanding job. And at the same time, if anybody had an issue or problem with me, I would want them to just tell me."

Davis, who now works as Florida's offensive line coach, called Saban "the devil himself" while comparing him to Gators' coach Will Muschamp during a booster club meeting Tuesday.

Davis worked for Saban as the Miami Dolphins' offensive line coach for two seasons before becoming the director of player personnel at Alabama in 2008.

Davis made the comment less than four months after Vanderbilt coach James Franklin referred to Saban as "Nicky Satan" during a high school sports banquet. Franklin later apologized for his comment.

"Twice. On two occasions," Saban said Thursday. "It's just disappointing. If somebody has a problem with me, I'd appreciate it if they'd tell me. If I'm doing something to offend somebody, I'd certainly like to do whatever I have to do to fix it."

Explaining that football is a tough and competitive business, Saban said sometimes "you've got to demand that people do things that maybe they don't want to do, but it's not personal."

Saban said he didn't blame Muschamp or the Gators for Davis' comment. "I know it's not representative of Will Muschamp and the University of Florida and the way they do things," Saban said.

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Alabama's Nick Saban Saddened by ex-assistant Coach's Comments