Nick Saban on the State of NIL: ‘Whoever Wants to Pay to Most’ Will Win
Several of the biggest names in college athletics have converged in Washington D.C. on Tuesday morning to discuss one of the biggest issues in their domain: name, image, and likeness (NIL).
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz is holding an “NIL Roundtable” on Capitol Hill to discuss, “the urgent need for Congress to find consensus and pass bipartisan legislation to codify name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights for student-athletes,” according to a press release.
Hailey and Hanna Cavinder, two of the most recognizable NIL athletes on the planet, are on the guest list for the event, as is legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Saban retired after 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide earlier this year, thanks in part to the effects of NIL.
The former head coach is now focused on helping the sport in this turbulent time, and is speaking on its behalf as an ambassador with a unique, firsthand perspective of the new-look landscape.
On Tuesday morning, Sen. Ted Manchin asked Saban what the landscape looks like now with NIL playing such a major role. The ever-candid 72-year-old was blunt in his response.
“It’s whoever wants to pay, the most money raised, the most money to buy the most players is going to have the best opportunity to win,” Saban said.
While his final 17 years on the sidelines were the highlight, Saban paced the sidelines for a half-century and saw the principles of everything he’s stood for in that time come crumbling down in the matter of just a few seasons.
“Well, all the things I believed in for all these years of coaching, 50 years of coaching, no longer exist in college athletics,” he said.
According to On3, Saban used his opening statement to drive home the main source of the issue; while NIL is a “great concept,” school boosters are using it to create a “pay-for-play” model in the sport.
Whether the legislation necessary to fix some of the issues will result from the roundtable is unknown, but having one of college football’s biggest names and brands speak on the sport’s behalf certainly can’t hurt the chances.
