The college football season came down to its final game, and Nick Saban still found time to go on a mini rant about how the sport is handling NIL (name, image, likeness).
Monday on the “The Pat McAfee Show,” Saban was on to discuss the national championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame but spent his last 30 seconds bashing the current NIL system in college sports.
“All I'm saying, the people out there need to know this model is unsustainable," Saban said. “It's not good for players. I mean people in Congress, I don't care who has to get off their butt and do something. Players need to get compensated, no doubt, but it has to be done in a way where we, you know, some kind of way have competitive balance. You know that every school has the same thing. One school can't spend $30 million for players while another school is spending $3 million.”
Saban, like most people, agrees that players deserve compensation, but a competitive balance must remain intact. While NIL has bunched the top teams closer together, it has also widened the gap even further from the smaller schools. Without some type of salary cap, the rich just keep getting richer.
The college football season ended after Monday’s game. In the offseason, maybe Saban or Congress can devise a better NIL model.
Ohio State, which won the championship game on Monday, has not been shy about spending NIL. The Buckeyes are believed to have the most expensive roster in college football at an estimated $20 million, according to team AD Ross Bjork.
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