Nick Saban has spent years watching college football’s financial landscape change, and he believes the sport has reached a point where some structure is necessary. After the Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act by a vote of 77-22, Saban explained why he thinks the legislation could address several college problems on ESPN’s Get Up.
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“This is going to put some parameters on that so that we don’t have to take money from academics,” Saban said. “We can still provide opportunities for Olympic and women’s sports, which I think is one of the most important things this does. “
The clip was posted on YouTube by ESPN on September 29.
“We still pay players, and they still have authentic name, image, and likeness,” Saban continued. “So I just think this gives us some guidelines so that we can have some rules and regulations that will actually enhance players’ opportunities to be more successful.”
That carries weight coming from someone with real influence, plus the legendary former Alabama coach. The bill has the backing of President Donald Trump, who set up a task force on college sports earlier this year that includes Saban and New York Yankees president Randy Levine.
The ESPN reporter pointed out that Saban has been outspoken in his support and asked why he believes it’s the right move. Saban started with where he thinks things went wrong.
“I think things got out of control based on name, image, and likeness,” Saban said on ESPN’s Get Up. “I want players to make money… But there’s not any business in the world that can function without a budget and some guidelines.”
Then he went to the NFL for a comparison and explained that if you ask an owner what he’d do if every player hit free agency every year, the answer is “we couldn’t operate.” And ask what he’d do without a salary cap, and it’s the same answer.
“We’d go broke,” Saban added.
The former coach sees college sports heading down that road, which he called a “runaway financial situation,” and said schools will end up doing one of two things.
They’ll “take money from the academic side to support athletics,” or they’ll drop Olympic and non-revenue sports, which, per him, reduces opportunities for new athletes.
That’s why the details of the bill matter to him, as it gives the NCAA an antitrust exemption to enforce a spending cap, which would raise the revenue-sharing limit to nearly $50 million and head off the lawsuits that come with it.
It also limits athletes to one transfer without penalty, sets a five-year eligibility window, creates an agent registry with a 5% fee cap, and lets schools pool their media rights.
The reporter also flagged a rule that would stop FBS coaches from coaching at a new school before their old team’s season is over. He said it could forever be known as the Lane Kiffin rule, a nod to how the situation at Ole Miss played out last year.
Put together, it covers what Saban and other supporters have been pushing for: a spending cap, a limit on transfers and some control over coaching movement.
Sen. Ted Cruz, the lead sponsor, makes a similar case, as he said that the bill looks beyond the “superstars” to “the 99% of student-athletes who will never play in the NBA, will never play in the NFL.”
Accordingly. Sen. Maria Cantwell, the lead Democratic co-sponsor, has pointed to “the runaway costs” of sports spending.
Opponents Say the Bill Protects Schools, Not Athletes
Not everyone is on board. The National College Players Association, the NAACP and the AFL-CIO all oppose the bill and say it looks out for schools and the NCAA, but doesn’t do enough to protect athletes’ rights.
“What this bill does, at its core, is protect a system of exploitation,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said in a joint statement with labor organizations.
Sen. Cory Booker, who played football at Stanford, called it a bill “for the large, wealthy interests that have been controlling college sports for a long time.” Senators voted down Booker’s amendment to cap coach salaries before the final vote.
The players’ association also warned about a provision that gives schools 30 days to fix a violation. It says that could make it harder for athletes to sue over sexual abuse, serious injuries or death. Cruz disagrees and says the bill does the opposite and protects student athletes.
The next test is the House, which is on recess until after the November midterms. The Congressional Black Caucus has come out against the bill. A similar effort, the SCORE Act, died in the House this summer after the caucus held out its support. Cruz wants the House to make the bill a priority and has even suggested Trump sign it live on a college football pregame show.