Chuck Martin says that to us media, "It's all pretend."

The Miami of Ohio football coach alleged this week that Alabama football "stole" former RedHawks kicker Graham Nicholson by recruiting him in violation of NCAA rules, in an interview with UM's in-house reporter that was posted to the school's official Youtube page. He is of course referring to NCAA tampering rules that prohibit coaches or school representatives from contacting potential transfers before they've formally entered the transfer portal.

"We didn't lose him. He's at Alabama. We know exactly where he's at. (With) you media people, it's all pretend. Like, no, Alabama stole our kicker. They illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us. That's a fact," Martin said. "But that's college football. We live in this la-la world like 'Hey, let's not talk reality.'"

You know what's not pretend, coach?

Proof isn't pretend. Neither is a formal complaint to the NCAA.

Martin offered none of the former, of course, and hasn't filed the latter. UM Athletics responded to an email Thursday confirming that no NCAA complaint has been filed regarding Nicholson's recruitment. So for now, consider Martin's bluster as little more than RedHawk Squawk.

STOLEN KICKER? Miami (Ohio) coach: Alabama football 'illegally recruited,' 'stole' kicker Graham Nicholson

DEBOER RESPONDS: Alabama football's Kalen DeBoer responds to Graham Nicholson stolen kicker allegation

This isn't the first time we've heard this song.

Two years ago, Louisville coach Scott Satterfield alleged that Alabama tampered with wide receiver Tyler Harrell when he left the Cardinals for the Crimson Tide. Proof offered? None. Outcome? There wasn't one. Albeit on a much smaller scale, allegations like these strike a similar chord as former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher's infamous rant in 2022, when he suggested then-Alabama coach Nick Saban had a closet full of skeletons, only to offer zip in the way of detail.

TAMU fans, no doubt, recognize the phrase 'all hat, no cattle.'

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, for his part, seemed genuinely caught off guard Thursday when asked about Martin's comments.

"I don't know anything about that comment," DeBoer said. "He entered into the portal, and we reached out to him. So, that's how it goes, right?"

In other words, the ball is in Martin's court, not DeBoer's.

Tampering goes on in college football, of course, but the NCAA is powerless to stop it. The only reason the tampering case on Iowa's recruitment of Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor came to light was that Proctor himself mentioned publicly that he'd been contacted by UI during his freshman season at Alabama last fall. Iowa self-reported a Level III NCAA violation — the least serious category and generally results in nothing but mandatory rules re-education — and nothing else came of it.

Nicholson's transfer was a big deal for both schools; he won the Lou Groza Award last season as the best kicker in the nation, converting 27 of 28 field goals to beat out Alabama's Will Reichard for the honor. It's also worth noting that Nicholson entered the transfer portal twice; first in December, some five weeks before Kalen DeBoer was hired at Alabama, before withdrawing his name. Then again in the spring, which is when he announced via Instagram that he would transfer to Alabama.

If Martin wants to cast blame, he should put it on NIL offers, because money is what really drives transfers. Players who are considered prizes in the transfer portal go where the money is — or stay where they are, if that's where the money is best — regardless of whether they're contacted before or after the portal opens.

Tampering happens. Nobody's pretending it doesn’t.

But if Martin wants something done about it, he should match his protest with some proof.

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama tampering allegation: UM coach should match protest with proof