Former Notre Dame and Kansas coach Charlie Weis has been most notable recently for his buyout checks. But while many would love to cash in multiple millions of dollars without working, spending time away from the sideline can wear on a lifetime football coach like Weis.

According to an ESPN feature on Weis, Alabama football has helped him get his fix. His son, Charlie Jr., was hired by Nick Saban as an offensive analyst last spring. Supporting the Tide has been a way for Weis to experience football as a fan in the stands for the first time in four decades.

According to Weis, Alabama football "got him through."

via ESPN:

Weis watched games from the stands for the first time in more than 40 years. He couldn't completely detach and just be a fan. He kept watching for patterns, wondering why the coaches called the plays they did. But mostly he rooted for his son. "You talk about what gets you through?" Weis says. "He got me through this last year because, on football weekends, I had Alabama football. I lived vicariously through him."

Weis was fired by Notre Dame in 2009 and received $6.6 million in severance pay on top of his annual $2.05 million salary through 2015. At the time of his 2014 firing at Kansas, the school owed him just over $5.6 million, though that deal is set to expire in December 2016. Needless to say, the timing and angle of the well-written piece (Weis wants a new gig) is worth noting.

Roll Tide, Charlie. Maybe this will be Weis' last fall in the stands.