Nick Saban rips apart current NIL model, already sees negative impacts on CFB
Alabama head coach Nick Saban has been able to adapt over his decades of coaching college football. Not only does the actual game evolve, but the environment surrounding the sport does too. With players now eligible to profit off of their name, image and likeness (NIL), the game is evolving faster than ever.
However, Saban believes that there must be some sort of change to the current system, as it is leading to some noticeable negative impacts on college football, despite it being enacted less than a year ago.
In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Saban makes it clear he is not opposed to players earning money via NIL, but states that there must be some sort of regulatory action to help the players. He also discussed the issue of recruits and transfers being bought by programs.
“It’s fine for players to get money. I’m all for that. I’m not against that. But there also has to be some responsibility on both ends, which you could call a contract. So that you have an opportunity to develop people in a way that’s going to help them be successful,” Saban said. “So there’s going to have to be some changes implemented, some kind of way to still create a level playing field,” he said. “And there is no salary cap. So whatever school decides they want to pay the most, they have the best chance to have the best team. And that’s never been college football, either.”
Saban sits at the helm of one of the biggest and most recognizable brands in athletics. Alabama Football is no stranger to making money, as can be seen by quarterback Bryce Young’s multiple NIL deals worth well over the NFL’s minimum salary for a player.
At the end of the day, valuing the experience as a player is what Saban emphasizes.
“I know we have to adapt to that,” Saban said. “You’re going to have kids out there that say, ‘Well, I can get a better deal going someplace else,’ and they’ll go there. But you’re also going to have people that see the light and say, ‘Yeah, they’ve got a good history of developing players. They got a good history of developing people, they got a great graduation rate and that value is more important.'”
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide throughout the 2022 offseason.
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