NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals were created to finally provide college athletes with a path to financial compensation for their long-standing unpaid labor.
As athletes flex their NIL muscles and take advantage of the business system that the NCAA system helped create, we all knew the tears and criticisms would soon follow.
But to hear Alabama’s Nick Saban express his concern over NIL is downright hilarious.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Saban acknowledged the well-intended purpose of NIL deals but simultaneously sounded the alarm about these opportunities as well.
“The concept of name, image and likeness was for players to be able to use their name, image and likeness to create opportunities for themselves. That’s what it was,” said Saban. “So last year on our team, our guys probably made as much or more than anybody in the country.”
“But that creates a situation where you can basically buy players,” Saban continued. “You can do it in recruiting. I mean, if that’s what we want college football to be, I don’t know. And you can also get players to get in the transfer portal to see if they can get more someplace else than they can get at your place.”
The sheer audacity of his claim is rife in irony.
Nick Saban heads up one of the most historically significant programs in the country. During his 15-year reign, Saban shaped Alabama into the most dominant program over the last 20 years.
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