Nick Saban responds to Paul Finebaum’s claim that he should be czar of college football
The need for leadership in the NCAA, especially in college football is long overdue. Between conference realignment, the transfer portal, and NIL, changes to the sport have quickly occurred and without much governing. Perhaps nobody affiliated with the sport is more synonymous with leadership than recently retired Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.
Paul Finebaum appears to have the same thought process. While interviewing the legendary head coach last week in Birmingham at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am, Finebaum expressed his desire for Saban, now a college football analyst for ESPN, to take over as the czar of college football.
“I think the solution to college football is you need to quit wasting time being on TV and you need to be what everybody in my business has suggested,” said Finebaum. “You need to be the czar of college football. If you agree to that right now, we can solve a lot of problems.”
Saban didn’t fall into Finebaum’s trap by revealing his interest in such a position but the seven-time national championship-winning head coach did offer his thoughts on changes that are needed in college athletics.
“There’s problems that have to be solved,” Saban said. “There’re lawsuits that have to be solved. Until we get all that in order, we’re not gonna be able to have some kind of protocol of rules and who governs those rules, so we don’t have litigation problems and we don’t have Title IX issues moving forward.
“I’m for the players getting paid,” Saban said. “I just want it to be a system where everybody has a competitive balance so we don’t lose the spirit of college football.”
Saban has been the face of college football for nearly two decades and it would only make sense for him to be the leading voice in decision-making for college athletics moving forward. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.
