Current NIL system has ‘become pay for play,’ ‘a little bit off the rails’

Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban was in Hoover last week for the Regions Tradition, and the legendary coach spoke with the cast of local radio show “The Next Round” about the state of college football.

Saban, who has been vocal about the landscape of college football with name, image and likeness (NIL), the transfer portal, and other aspects leading to his seemingly abrupt retirement, has been rumored to help lead President Donald Trump’s commission on college athletics.

RELATED: Saban: ‘I don’t really know’ what presidential commission on college athletics would do

In speaking with “The Next Round,” Saban criticized what NIL has become, saying it had gone “a little bit off the rails. He emphasized the importance of getting all state laws to mirror each other to “level the playing field.”

“Look, I want everybody to know. I’m not against players making money. I think they deserve to do that. I think name, image and likeness is no longer name, image and likeness; it’s become play for pay. So, the system that we’re paying players right now probably is a little bit off the rails. And we probably need to do something to get all the state laws the same so that everybody competes on a level playing field, authentic name, image and likeness, which means it really and truly is like a marketing opportunity. And when this House settlement comes down, there will probably be some revenue sharing and some guidelines that we can build around hopefully to make the game a little better.

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