I'll retract my propriety statement, since it wasn't in fact dinner AT the White House that Saban turned down.
I still think he missed the chance of a lifetime, though, and if I were his wife I'd probably give him a "What were you thinking?" arm smack.
He was likely thinking:
Who's going to be my starting running back?
Will Culpepper be able to do the job?
How's my depth at safety?
His wife will likely be demanding answers to these and other items.