Nick Saban's return to South Florida for the BCS National Championship Game has prompted discussions of Saban's time in Miami as the head coach of the Dolphins, particularly the hard feelings on the part of some Miami sports fans regarding how Saban departed from the team when he took the job as the head coach at Alabama. Saban was asked about his departure from Miami on The Dan LeBatard Show on Miami radio station 104.3 The Ticket

"I think the biggest thing was probably not handling the way I left very well," Saban said on the show. "That's always been a thing with me that I've never felt good about it. The one thing that I don't have any regret about was the relationship that I had with the players and the job that I did for the Dolphins and Mr. Huizenga. We all learn from ourselves."

When asked by LeBatard whether Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga had an arrangement with Saban allowing the coach to leave if he wasn't happy in the position, Saban said that while there was no official, Huizenga made it clear that he would understand if Saban ever decided to return to college football.

"He was very understanding of our situation. I think in that, it was kind of mutually understood that if this is not for you, I would understand it.

Saban was also asked about whether he would entertain a return to the NFL in the future.

"This has been a good thing for my family to be here," Saban said. "College football has been very good for us. The positive impact that you can have on these young men as players and as people, that's just something that we really enjoy and something that I learned about myself."

"I really enjoy what I'm doing here right now. I'm getting old now. I don't think we've got too many moves left in us. You develop a lot of relationships and loyalties to the players you recruit and the players you have on the team and the people you have in the organization. I don't think it's really fair to leave. I regretted when I left LSU because I left a lot of relationships there. Hopefully I'll be able to stay here for a long, long time."

When asked about the perception that he is unhappy, Saban said the perception does not match up with reality.

"Maybe I don't always show it and maybe I'm always worried about the next game. I'm happy, I'm very, very happy. I'm very pleased and happy with what we've been able to accomplish here."

"We haven't practiced for two weeks since that game so I haven't had the chance to yell at anybody. We start practice tomorrow so everybody better tie it on."

Among the other topics discussed on the show were Saban's struggles with the quarterback position in Miami, a widely-circulated story about Saban ignoring a player suffering from a serious medical condition, and Saban's statue in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

"I don't really stand by it," Saban said of the statue. "I said if there's going to be some statue here it should be of the team. I think that's a symbol of what the team accomplished. That's what it means to me and that's all it means to me."

Listen to audio of the full interview below:

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