During a Wednesday U.S. Senate committee hearing, legendary former Alabama football coach Nick Saban testified in favor of a new bill to reform college athletics.
The Protect College Sports Act, drafted after months of negotiations between U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), would grant the NCAA an antitrust exemption to enforce several rules that have been challenged in court in recent years.
Saban emphasized the need for Congress to "bring order to a system that badly needs fixing" in the name, image and likeness (NIL) and transfer portal era. He also argued that the bill was important because it brought "integrity" to the current system rather than "pay-for-play."
"I think that Congress does not need to micromanage college athletics," he outlined. "Congress does need to fix the mess in the courts and create a national framework so the people inside college sports can enforce fair rules. Without that legal certainty, every rule becomes another lawsuit, every standard becomes another risk, and the system keeps drifting toward a professional model."
Saban went on to say that the bill "isn't perfect, and I'm sure many, many adjustments need to be made," but he said it would bring "order to a system that badly needs fixing."
"I don't think this is bipartisan," he continued. "I think it should be nonpartisan. It's that important in terms of college athletics, in terms of the future for young people. It protects athletes, it protects opportunity, it protects competitive balance, it protects the sports that do not always generate revenue but still matter. It gives college athletes a chance to move forward with rules that are clear, national and enforceable. For these reasons, I support the College Sports Act, and urge Congress to act."
The Protect College Sports Act:
1. Ends the roster chaos with national rules for transfers (one free undergrad) and eligibility (5-in-5)
2. Creates enforceable standards on recruiting, tampering, and NIL disclosures
3. Protects student athletes’ right to earn from their own NIL
4. Enables enforcement of House settlement on revenue sharing and fake NIL deals
5. Sanctions against agents that take advantage of student athletes, facilitate player poaching, and recruit tampering
6. Protects women’s sports, Olympic sports, and scholarship opportunities
7. Preserves historic rivalries
8. Keeps college sports tied to education, so student athletes become successful adults
9. Prohibits football coaches from quitting mid-season to be hired by another program
10. Guarantees safety standards, health care, and an ombudsman for student athletes
11. Makes TV money work for college sports with an option for schools to pool media rights
12. Stops Super League consolidation
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