Former Nick Saban Assistant Recalls Kirby Smart Being Reprimanded By PETA

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart is college football's highest paid coach and the leader of a program that has lost two games over the last three seasons.

Fearless is the word that comes to mind when describing Smart. And it seems that mantra also extends to his distaste of snakes, something that drew heat from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) during his tenure with the Crimson Tide.

According to former Alabama director of player personnel Tyler Siskey, the group "demanded" a public apology stemming from social media post that pictured Smart holding a dead snake.

Smart was on vacation with his wife and three children when he spotted and killed a massive water moccasin lurking near his family.

"He killed the water moccasin...," Siskey said on the McCready and Siskey Podcast . "Like every other human being would have done. One of his buddies takes the picture and posts it on social media... And our good friends at PETA called the SID and demanded – not asked – demanded a public apology for killing the water moccasin."

Alabama's sports information director (SID) first revealed the news of PETA's letter to Siskey, who, after laughing, decided to play a prank on Smart.

Siskey went with the SID to the Crimson Tide defensive coordinator and said, "Kirby, we got a problem... You're gonna have to make a public apology."

Then he finally revealed the true nature of the news to Smart. "I don't know if I've ever seen Kirby Smart laugh as hard in my life," Siskey said.

As far as Alabama's response to PETA's heated demand, the SID elected to take a patented Nick Saban approach. "He goes in and does his SID thing," Siskey added. "And then basically responded to PETA saying, 'Uh, our assistants can't speak to the media.'"

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