Back when the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Jermaine Burton, his coach at Alabama, Nick Saban, went wildly viral for his not-so-great endorsement of the selection.
Fast forward just a few years later, the Bengals have already cut ties with Burton and the Saban commentary has popped back up once again.
The Bengals cut Burton on Monday after suspending him, ending a third-round experiment years early.
Saban’s commentary quickly resurfaced:
“Emotional maturity is the best way to say it… Do the right things all the time… There’s a difference between playing with emotion and being emotional. When you get emotional, you make bad decisions and lose your brain.” – Nick Saban on Alabama WR Jermaine Burton #NFLDraftpic.twitter.com/c1BZoeFT4C
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 27, 2024
RELATED: Bengals end Jermaine Burton era, release former third-round pick
The Bengals had suspended Burton for last weekend’s game in Buffalo, not letting him travel with the team. That made it three weeks in a row he had popped up with a last-second injury or other issue since the bye, making him unavailable and inactive.
Burton had spent the bulk of the season on the inactives list, with opportunities going to the likes of Mitchell Tinsley when Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins needed to miss a game.
After a rookie year marred by issues, a report stressed trust issues from the Bengals directed at Burton.
Now, the hindsight fallout in the wake of his release:
I still remember how bad Saban’s reaction made me feel about the Jermaine Burton pick. https://t.co/iG4zSFjbMu
— Erik (@egveitikkje) December 8, 2025
Hate how right Saban was about Jermaine Burton, a completely wasted draft pick https://t.co/avmCUa9LMa
— Rebecca Toback (@Rebecca_Toback) December 8, 2025
I remember seeing the clip of Saban’s reaction to the pick. Didn’t have the most glowing review of Burton. He knew something but hey let’s just listen to former players and former coaches of the team instead…..
— Mike V (@MikeV0600) December 8, 2025
RELATED: Bengals’ head coaching situation getting some attention around NFL
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Nick Saban comments on Bengals picking Jermaine Burton pop up again
