Security guard has different take on Nick Saban's SEC Media Days credential story

The spotlight has been on Nick Saban in the first few hours of SEC Media Days because of a gaff involving his media credentials. However, it sounds like the security guard at the heart of this viral moment has a different take on the story.

Saban got plenty of attention on ESPN on Monday morning when he relayed that his first SEC Media Days as a TV personality hit a snag when he got to the security checkpoint and didn't have his credentials. The former Alabama football head coach's story paints a picture of a security guard not recognizing Saban enough to let him in without the proper credentials.

The story doesn't sound quite as dramatic coming from the security guard himself. Kiante Griffin, who was working the security checkpoint with his grandmother, told AL.com that Saban himself went back to his room to get his forgotten credential — and that Griffin was going to give him a pass.

"He came down the elevator and he knew he didn’t have his credentials," said Griffin, a former four-star recruit who played at Baylor. "He literally looked at me, he was like ‘Oh I’m going to go up and get it.'"

"I was like ‘I think everybody should know who you are. There’s a credential desk right here. You can probably just get another one.' But he ended up just going back up to his room," Griffin continued.

The credential debacle isn't the only thing that has put the spotlight on Saban at the start of the four-day event.  In his first run as a TV personality and not a head coach, he had plenty of criticism for the Univerity of Texas and its first season as part of the SEC.

"What kind of tickles me is all these people asking questions about how Texas always ran the conference they were in," Saban told SEC Network. "They’re not gonna run the SEC."

Saban coached to a 206-29 (.877) record in 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide and won national championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020.

He ended his college football coaching career with a 297-71-1 record that also included stops at Michigan State, Toledo and LSU. He announced his retirement from coaching in January.