Nick Saban brought up former Alabama star Henry Ruggs in an emotional speech last month ... saying if Ruggs' friends were better leaders, they could have prevented his tragic accident.
Saban led a discussion at the Alabama Football Coaches Association convention ... and at one point, explained how players care "more than ever before" about what others think of them -- and how it's affecting their opportunities to be a role model.
The Crimson Tide coach used two examples to get his point across -- one being Ruggs' serious fatal DUI crash in November, in which 23-year-old Tina Tintor died.