Nick Saban has never really held unanimous endearment and love from the wider College Football sphere. Respect? Yes. Admiration for how he built a dynasty? Certainly. But you cannot become as successful, the proverbial GOAT, without spawning some cynicism and dislike. Well, if the latest development reverberating out of Washington, D.C- via Tuscaloosa- holds true, that dislike is about to get a whole lot more vocal. Especially within the traditionalists, the fans of the sport who are already vexed at its constantly evolving dynamics.
The advent of modern appendages like NIL and the transfer portal has fanned the flames of college football becoming something its stakeholders don’t want it to become. The Nico Iamaleava-Tennessee ordeal epitomized this potentially ugly direction things are headed in. The imminent House Settlement consists of bylaws that will substantiate some of the issues. Issues that have arisen from introducing mechanisms that pay student-athletes, and essentially drive the sport further from its ‘amateur’ origins. But like it or not, POTUS Donald Trump and Nick Saban seem to think there’s still more remedy needed. So much so that they’re stepping in themselves.
Last week, a massive revelation hit the airwaves. One that, as hyperbolic as this sounds, stands to change the course of CFB as we know it. “President Donald Trump is making plans to create a presidential commission on college athletics,” reported Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. “Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, a central figure in the fight for college sports legislation, is expected to be integral to the commission’s work.” Even the people that were against the modernization of CFB didn’t want federal involvement. But it doesn’t seem like they’re gonna have a choice. Following this report, there’s been nationwide discourse about it’s repercussions. Important figures, ex-players and fans alike have hypothesized about what it means. Now, Nick Saban himself has finally addressed the matter.
Speaking to the media at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am golf tournament, Nick Saban was confronted about the proposed commission and his reported role. “To be honest with you, I don’t really know much about this commission, what this commission will do…I learned one thing about coaching for all these years. When you get into a subject like this that’s very complex, it’s probably good not to talk about it off the cuff,” he prefaced his stance. You can take the pragmatic, diplomatic coach Saban out of the game. But you can’t take those values he cultivated in years of doing the media out of him! He did, however, proceed to leverage a little more detail. Which legitimized that he’s involved in some capacity in such a commission.
“I think we know what needs to be done… I just think we’ve got to figure out who’s got the will to do it,” he added. Nick Saban then said, “I’ll find out more about it. If there’s something that I can do to help college football be better, I’ve always been committed to do that. I was committed to do that as a coach and help players be more successful in life. And I would continue to do the same thing now.” After these comments, it’s confirmed that report wasn’t smoke and mirrors. Saban saying he’ll “find out more” and not wanting to comment off the cuff proves there’s some motion behind this commission, and Saban is going to be involved.
It’s been reported Nick Saban will be co-chair for the commission, alongside former Texas Tech player Cody Campbell. But from the standpoint of his exact role, Saban did play his cards close to his chest.
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