Nick Saban is close to adding another line on his accomplished resume, but it’s in something outside of football. According to FOX6 News in Birmingham, coach Saban could soon be the proud co-owner of a Mercedes Benz dealership!
Saban and a business partner agreed to open a dealership, but a current lawsuit has postponed those plans. Saban will reportedly be subpoenaed in the lawsuit between Crown Automobile in Hoover and Mercedes Benz USA in which Crown claims that “allowing Saban and his business partner to build a new dealership in Irondale will infringe on their market and violate the Alabama Motor Vehicle Franchise Act.”
Though he is not named in the suit, Saban has been asked to turn over “all correspondence” related to the business venture. That includes various documents, emails, and text messages.
Robert Plott, Saban’s attorney, released a statement from the Crimson Tide coach.
“My partner and I have entered into a letter agreement with Mercedes Benz to open a new dealership in Irondale. We are honored to join the Mercedes family and are extremely excited about the benefits this dealership will bring to the citizens of Birmingham, Irondale and the surrounding areas,” Saban said.
According to AL.com, construction of the new dealership will be delayed until the case is resolved.
Unfortunately, per Mercedes Benz rules, the dealership cannot bear the Saban name, but Saban will “help market the property, give motivational speeches to employees and appear at events to show appreciation to customers,” said Joe Agresti, Saban’s partner.
Saban will also record ads for the new dealership, Agresti, who has run a Mercedes dealership out of Baton Rouge for 10 years, said.
"You'll get to see his smiling face on TV often," Agresti said.
- - -
Want to join the conversation? Hit us up on Twitter @YahooDrSaturday be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.