It was a grind, but nobody's sick.

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That's what Nick Saban told Bama alum Rece Davis of ESPN Thursday.

Here's a look:

"This last season was grueling. It was a real grind for us to come from where we started to where we got to. It took a little more out of me than usual. When people mention the health issue, it was really just the grind of can you do this the way you want to do it? Can you do it the way you've always done it, and be able to sustain it and do it for the entire season? And if I couldn't make a commitment to do that in the future the way I have to do it, I thought maybe this was the right time, based on those two sets of circumstances.

"It was the 'Can you sustain the season?' from just a mental grind standpoint. When I was young, I could work until 2 in the morning, get up at 6 and be there the next day and be full of energy, and go for it. But when you get a little older, that gets a little tougher and I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that."

And those rumors that either he or his wife were suffering from something?

"There's no illness. Miss Terry is fine. I'm fine. It was the 'Can you sustain the season?' from just a mental grind standpoint. When I was young, I could work until 2 in the morning, get up at 6 and be there the next day and be full of energy, and go for it. But when you get a little older, that gets a little tougher and I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that."

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Gallery Credit: Mary K