A day after Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was suspended for his failure in leadership, Nick Saban stepped to the podium for a previously-scheduled news conference.
The attention had shifted from camp to the Week 1 meeting with Louisville, though the Ohio State news lingered.
Meyer was suspended three games for the way he handled multiple domestic violence accusations against recently-fired receivers coach Zach Smith. The release of a 23-page report following controversial joint news conference only led to more questions about how Meyer and Ohio State officials managed allegations, false statements made to the media, and the hiring process for employees.
What kind of safeguards are in place at Alabama to prevent such a problem?
Saban said the school administration has procedures in place and that he is "very comfortable with the reporting line that we have in place."
"We do things like we have a meeting with compliance every week," Saban said. "We have a reporting protocol that if we have anything at all that happens, what the lines of reporting are, how it gets documented. I've been really pleased with the system that we have here in place."
The head coach's role in scenario like this matters, Saban said.
"These are things that, as a head coach, you're responsible for," Saban said. "Sometimes they are difficult to control but even when you can control them and you know about them, you certainly should report them so that they don't become a bigger issue in the program and that's something I've always felt comfortable with our people here in terms of how they manage it."
Alabama's athletic handbook spells out the reporting process for victims of domestic violence or any other abuse. The school's Title IX office also published a 50-page sexual misconduct policy and has a website where incidents can be reported.
Smith, the former Ohio State receivers coach, was accused in a 2015 domestic violence incidence of which Meyer denied knowledge at Big Ten Media Days in July. Later, he acknowledged he was aware of it and reported it properly. Smith was fired in July after being charged with trespassing and served with a civil protection order.
"We have a tremendous amount of compassion for and empathy for anyone who has been involved in any kind of abusive behavior -- whether its domestic violence or anything else," Saban said. "Certainly, we want the people in our organization to feel comfortable and confident that they're going to be protected in every way possible.
"All of our people in our organization know they have a responsibility and obligation to make good choices and decisions, do what's right, respect the people that they work with and respect people in the community so that we don't have issues, but if we do, I'm very comfortable with the reporting line that we have in place."
Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.