Jimbo Fisher

Watch: Jimbo Fisher Further Defends Texas A&M's Recruiting in Contentious Interview

Fisher also said he didn't read Nick Saban's apology

Scroll down to watch the interview

USA TODAY Sports

Jimbo Fisher has offered up yet another passionate defense of his program.

The Texas A&M head coach sat down for an interview with Greg Simmons of KSAT 12 in San Antonio and railed against the "complete lies" about the Aggies' recruiting tactics.

“I just researched this. Of the 11 guys we have in place that came early, one guy has an NIL deal,” Fisher said in the interview, which took place on Friday and aired on Sunday. “Just one [of the 11 early enrollees].

“So all these stories you’re hearing are complete lies.”

The interview then turned contentious when Fisher started questioning Simmons over whether he did his own research or simply believed “false” social media posts, such as the accusation that the Aggies had a $30 million fund for name, image and likeness deals.

“It was written on social media so everybody believes it,” Fisher said. “You’ve got news channels believing it and big people believing it. And you believed it.

“Did you do your research? No, see you can’t answer. So you just assumed, and that’s the way this world goes now. As soon as it’s written on social media and someone says it, you believe it. So where does that put you guys as reporters?”

Alabama head coach Nick Saban started a war of words with Fisher last Wednesday when he said Texas A&M “bought every player” with NIL deals to beat out the Crimson Tide for the No. 1 2022 recruiting class.

Fisher then held a press conference the following day to respond to Saban’s comments, strongly refuting the ’Bama head coach’s claims and calling him a “narcissist.”

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"Some people think they're God," Fisher said. "Go dig into how God did his deal. May find out about a guy, a lot of things you don't want to know. We build him up to be the czar of football. Go dig into his past. Or anybody that's ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out. What he does and how he does it. And it's despicable.

"You can call me anything you want to call me. You can't call me a cheat. I don't cheat and I don't lie. I learned that when I was a kid, if you did that, your old man slapped you 'side the head. Maybe somebody should have slapped [Saban]."

Fisher also said in the presser that he ignored a phone call from Saban on Thursday.

"We're done," he said. "He showed you who he is."

Both high-profile coaches were reprimanded by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on Thursday for their public spat.

Saban did later apologize for singling out Texas A&M and clarified that he “wasn't saying that anyone did anything illegal in using name, image and likeness.”

But Fisher, who worked under Saban as an assistant at LSU from 2000 to 2004, told Simmons the two coaches still “aren’t talking.”

“I didn’t read it,” Fisher said of Saban’s apology. “I don’t read social media.”

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