Posted by: Josh Kendall on October 23, 2012

Alabama freshmen Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon are having great seasons, but they are not allowed by coach Nick Saban to talk to the media about those seasons - or anything else.

And it's Plaxico Burress' fault. Let Saban explain: Burress was a freshman receiver for Michigan State when Saban was there in 1998. Michigan was up next.

Burress "says, 'Yeah, going down there will be like taking candy from a baby,'" Saban told AL.com on Monday. "So, he just about got killed. They tried to kill him down there for 60 minutes in the game. We didn't win the game."

The next year, Saban said, he put Burress on a gag order, and the Spartans won. A policy was born.

"We're not trying to hold them back from anything," Saban said. "We want to help them develop the skills necessary that they need to represent themselves in a first-class way. I understand and I think it takes a little pressure off them when they don't have to talk to the media. Because they worry about it, especially if they're not prepared for it. It might not be true in all cases, but I think in general, it probably helps their development and takes a little pressure off them."

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Josh Kendall is a staff writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered the SEC for more than 15 years for papers such as the Athens Banner-Herald, Macon Telegraph, and The State. He’s the father of two boys who he’s hoping don’t inherit his wide receiver frame and offensive guard feet. Follow @EyeOnCoaches on twitter and send your feedback to josh@coachingsearch.com