Nick Saban claims he left Michigan State over pay dispute

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At this point, it feels like one of the great footnotes in college football history that Nick Saban was once the head coach of Michigan State football. After a stint as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Saban came to East Lansing, where he led some successful MSU teams before he abruptly jumped ship to LSU after the final regular-season game of the 1999 season. Now, thanks to an interview with ESPN, we finally have some more insight into why he made the move.

Saban claims that, during his tenure with Michigan State, he was presented with an opportunity to go to the New York Giants. According to his story, in order to prevent him from jumping back to the NFL, Saban was offered a $100,000 bonus to stay with the Spartans, only to never receive that money. Saban asserts that, when he asked about the bonus, he was simply told: 'Nobody cares about your $100,000.'

You can watch the clip below:

That's certainly going to be a frustrating story to hear for MSU fans. $100,000 seems like a rather trivial amount to lose a legendary coach over.

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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Nick Saban claims he left Michigan State over pay dispute

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