(Video courtesy of UTSports.com)
Imagine the emotion of coaching on a staff that is fighting for its jobs in a game against your rival, who happens to be the No. 1 team in the nation.
Now, imagine your son is playing for the other team.
That's the scenario Tennessee DC Sal Sunseri faces Saturday when the Vols take on No.1 Alabama in Knoxville. Sunseri will be coaching against his son, Alabama S Vinnie Sunseri.
Sal Sunseri was emotional after the Vols' practice on Wednesday when he was asked about it.
"Let me just say this to everybody here: It's been very, very hard this whole week, especially for both of us," he said via the team's official website. "Emotionally for the family it's been very tough. I didn't think it would be this hard. But we're both going to be professionals about it. We're both going to do what we have to do and we're going to go out there and try to play our best football."
Sal Sunseri, a former LBs coach/assistant head coach for the Tide, helped coach Vinnie at Alabama last season when he was was used mainly as a reserve and on special teams. Since Sal was hired as the defensive coordiantor at Tennessee, Vinnie has become a key part of the Tide's secondary, making 22 tackles and two interceptions this season.
Vinnie said he's never regretted staying at Alabama when his dad left. But he's really not looking foward to Saturday's game at Neyland Stadium.
"Very, very tough," Vinnie Sunseri told the Birmingham News. "A lot of mixed emotions. Hard. Hard, hard, hard. I’m getting a lot of calls from the family saying good luck to me, but I know they’re just giving the same, exact advice to my dad. It’s tough. It’s really tough."
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