After Alabama fell short against the eventual national champions, the Washington Huskies, Nick Saban decided to hang up his coaching hat. The football world was significantly shocked by this, and up to this day, we didn’t know why Saban decided to call it quits. Could it be due to his declining age, or was it because he wanted to pursue other opportunities? As it turns out, it was the fast-changing college football landscape, and an issue his wife raised that he couldn’t overlook.
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Nick Saban recently sat down in a roundtable meet in Washington, DC, alongside eight other notable figures, including Senator Ted Cruz, who hosted the meet, and is also responsible for the NIL legislation. The aim of this assembly was to discuss the future of college athletics, the transfer portal, and, of course, the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeliness) money, according to FOX News.
The former Crimson Tide coach stressed during the meet that the implementation of NIL money is one of the reasons why he decided to retire. He said,
“All the things I believed in for all these years — 50 years of coaching — no longer exist in college athletics. It always was about developing players. It was always about helping people be more successful in life.“
Saban then recounted a conversation with his wife Terry before his retirement, when the latter went up to him and asked why they were still trying to mentor athletes, when these youngsters were no longer interested in their development but only cared for the money.
“My wife (Terry) even said to me, we have all the recruits over on Sunday with their parents for breakfast. She would always meet with the mothers and talk about how she was going to help impact their sons and how they would be well taken care of. She came to me right before I retired and said, ‘Why are we doing this?’” Saban recalled. “I said, ‘What do you mean?’ She said, ‘All they care about is how much you’re going to pay them. They don’t care about how you’re going to develop them, which is what we’ve always done. So why are you doing this?’”
This struck a chord with him, and Saban somehow recognized his wife’s concerns. He also noted that it’s become a pay-for-play situation in college where competitiveness is waning — with even two NFL coaches reaching out to him and expressing similar sentiments.
NFL World Doesn’t Seem to Agree with Nick Saban
It can be said with certainty that Nick Saban has etched his name in the history books as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. Seven natty and eleven SEC championships don’t come easy. So, when the greatest to ever do it talks about issues in football, we must listen.
However, football fans appear to be against Saban on this one. They feel that it’s high time for college athletes to build their brand and learn how to flourish. Some even took shots at the former coach, alleging that since Saban has made all the money in the world, he doesn’t get to have a say about the NIL.
It’s also worth mentioning that Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes in just a season has built a program that highly focuses on an athlete’s brand. Even though CU ended up dead last in the Pac-12 in 2023, they still hold the biggest player with NIL money in Shedeur Sanders. The program also boasts a social media influence, consistently keeping fans up to date with what the stars of the team are up to.
While there are some uncertainties around NIL, it’s safe to say that it’s not going anywhere, anytime soon. However, we also must acknowledge that Nick Saban does have some great points. The water could flow in any direction, but it will be the platers who are affected; therefore, hopefully, even if any changes occur, it won’t adversely affect them.
