Since retiring from coaching, Nick Saban has been making waves in the media world, trying to make a difference with his strong opinions. Instead, the legendary Alabama coach is all over the headlines.
This time, it is not for a game plan but for a potential spot on a commission that could rewrite the rules of college sports as we know them. To make it even better, President Donald Trump started the whole thing.
Vague Paul Finebaum Interview Adds Fuel to Concerns Over Nick Saban’s True Intentions for College Athletics
Trump’s latest plan involves forming a presidential commission to oversee college athletics. This group would regulate everything, including transfer portal rules and NIL payments. It’s supposed to include major “stakeholders,” possibly businessmen with college football ties. Soon, all eyes turned to Saban, who just so happened to speak to the POTUS at Alabama’s commencement earlier this month. Quite the serendipity, isn’t it?
While Trump’s team is reportedly working on the changes, Saban’s responses so far have been rather confusing.
After the news hullabaloo, Nick Saban joined the famous analyst on ‘The Paul Finebaum Show’ to highlight the recent happenings. During the conversation, the seven-time national champ clarified that he’s not sold on the commission idea.
As Saban puts it, “I don’t know a lot about the commission,” he said, adding, “I’m not sure we really need one.”
Now, that is interesting, considering this is the same man who spent the last two years calling out the chaos of NIL deals and the wild west of the NCAA, the transfer portals. Now, that has left college football podcasters Joe DeLeone and Blake Ruffino asking questions. On the latest episode of The Ruffino & Joe Show, the two questioned the sudden change of heart.
“Can we trust that Nick Saban is doing this unselfishly?” DeLeone asked. “Why are you suddenly downplaying it now that there’s federal involvement?” But that is not all DeLeone said.
“You are that guy. You’ve been calling for change forever. And now that there’s a real chance, you’re backing off?” said Joe DeLeone. Black Ruffino quickly joined in and doubled down on the skepticism.
“These coaches say they want change. They lie their asses off,” said Ruffino. The frustration, however, is not just about what Nick Saban had said. It is about the whole college coaching world acting one way in public and another behind closed doors. Joe DeLeone and Blake Ruffino took the example of Kirby Smart to explain the duality.
With the college football legend suddenly toeing the line and a political wildcard ready to toss him the keys to the kingdom, it is no surprise that podcasters are throwing red flags. Is it a selfless act, or is it simply strategic? As Joe DeLeone put it, “We don’t know what the underlying motives are for Nick Saban and why he wants to have a hand in the future of college athletics.”
While Nick Saban insists he wants to “protect the game” and “create value” for student-athletes, critics insist that the abstractness is gutting. They still wonder if he’s talking as a mentor or a businessman protecting his turf. After all, even his solution was all over the place.
Saban vaguely mentioned the need for federal-level consistency, mumbled about the importance of Olympic sports, and insisted he didn’t want to be “at the tip” of the spear. Yet somehow, he’s in the middle of the conversation with Trump about leading the thing?
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However, if Saban’s going to help shape the future of college sports, fans, athletes, and critics alike are left asking one simple question: Can the world really trust him to do it for the right reasons? And if he’s staying quiet while the power shifts, maybe that silence is the loudest thing he’s ever said.
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