Nick Saban won't cut barbershop series despite LeBron James' complaint
Alabama coach Nick Saban isn't scrapping a program that drew a complaint from LeBron James.
But James isn't backing down, either.
The Cleveland Cavaliers star says the Crimson Tide's "Shop Talk" trailer uses "ideas, concepts and format" from a program on the digital media platform James co-founded.
Last year, UNINTERRUPTED aired "The Shop," where James, Golden State forward Draymond Green and others talk in a barbershop. It followed with a second episode in March in which James spoke about his infrequent driving habits and has finished filming content for a third.
Alabama released a trailer on Twitter for "Shop Talk" last week showing Saban and Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones -- who played college ball for Saban -- in a barbershop setting. UNINTERRUPTED sent a letter to Alabama, citing concerns over copyright infringement and intellectual property.
Speaking Tuesday, Saban said he didn't know about James' show.
"I think LeBron James is a great player," the coach said. "There's been at least 20 barbershop-type things I've seen. I didn't even know he had one. I'm sorry anybody could be offended by something we were just trying to have fun with. I enjoyed it and we're going to continue to do it."
James responded to Saban's rebuttal following the Cavaliers' 112-106 win over the Raptors on Tuesday.
"I mean, I think you guys know Nick Saban more than me from a media perspective," James said. "You guys know Nick Saban more than I do, so that's exactly what I would think he would say. I built UNINTERRUPTED for a reason and for us athletes to have a platform to be able to speak about whatever we want to talk about. I respect him as a coach, but I'll be damned if I'll allow someone to use our platform or try to do the same thing we're doing and just think it's OK.
"So, the lawyers will figure it out."
On Monday, an Alabama spokeswoman told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that the university was notified of the complaint from UNINTERRUPTED earlier in the day and was reviewing the matter.
Legal representatives from Alabama and UNINTERRUPTED engaged in a dialogue Tuesday and both sides expressed an interest in working together, a source familiar with the conversation told ESPN. It was characterized as a productive discussion about how to work together on a solution, the source said, adding that Saban's remarks were not consistent with what was discussed by the legal teams for the two parties.
When asked by ESPN how UNINTERRUPTED planned to proceed following Saban's statement, a representative for the company declined to say what steps they will take.
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...er-lebron-james-muldia-platform-uninterrupted
Alabama coach Nick Saban isn't scrapping a program that drew a complaint from LeBron James.
But James isn't backing down, either.
The Cleveland Cavaliers star says the Crimson Tide's "Shop Talk" trailer uses "ideas, concepts and format" from a program on the digital media platform James co-founded.
Last year, UNINTERRUPTED aired "The Shop," where James, Golden State forward Draymond Green and others talk in a barbershop. It followed with a second episode in March in which James spoke about his infrequent driving habits and has finished filming content for a third.
Alabama released a trailer on Twitter for "Shop Talk" last week showing Saban and Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones -- who played college ball for Saban -- in a barbershop setting. UNINTERRUPTED sent a letter to Alabama, citing concerns over copyright infringement and intellectual property.
Speaking Tuesday, Saban said he didn't know about James' show.
"I think LeBron James is a great player," the coach said. "There's been at least 20 barbershop-type things I've seen. I didn't even know he had one. I'm sorry anybody could be offended by something we were just trying to have fun with. I enjoyed it and we're going to continue to do it."
James responded to Saban's rebuttal following the Cavaliers' 112-106 win over the Raptors on Tuesday.
"I mean, I think you guys know Nick Saban more than me from a media perspective," James said. "You guys know Nick Saban more than I do, so that's exactly what I would think he would say. I built UNINTERRUPTED for a reason and for us athletes to have a platform to be able to speak about whatever we want to talk about. I respect him as a coach, but I'll be damned if I'll allow someone to use our platform or try to do the same thing we're doing and just think it's OK.
"So, the lawyers will figure it out."
On Monday, an Alabama spokeswoman told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that the university was notified of the complaint from UNINTERRUPTED earlier in the day and was reviewing the matter.
Legal representatives from Alabama and UNINTERRUPTED engaged in a dialogue Tuesday and both sides expressed an interest in working together, a source familiar with the conversation told ESPN. It was characterized as a productive discussion about how to work together on a solution, the source said, adding that Saban's remarks were not consistent with what was discussed by the legal teams for the two parties.
When asked by ESPN how UNINTERRUPTED planned to proceed following Saban's statement, a representative for the company declined to say what steps they will take.
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...er-lebron-james-muldia-platform-uninterrupted
