Saban testifies before Senate to bring order to college sports

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban testified on Capitol Hill on Wednesday before United States senators in support of the Protect College Sports Act.

“Congress does not need to micromanage college athletics,” Saban said at the hearing, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich. “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.”

The Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill introduced last week, would allow the NCAA to enforce rules that have been challenged in court in recent years. Key provisions of the bill include limiting athletes to one transfer without penalty, capping athletes’ eligibility at five years, and prohibiting former professional athletes from playing in college.

Saban said the bill isn’t perfect and might need adjustments down the line, but he remains fully supportive of the new legislation.

“I think it should be nonpartisan,” Saban added. “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 NCAA has been pushing for legislation since a Supreme Court ruling in 2021 negated the organization’s antitrust exemption. In July of that year, NIL rights for athletes took effect, allowing players to earn money without losing their eligibility.

Saban revealed at the hearing that Alabama had a $2.7-million NIL fund during his first year under the new NIL rules. He added that the figure increased to $10 million by Saban’s final season in 2023 and was $24 million in 2025. He said that some schools now have $40-million rosters.

“This bill recognizes the difference between real NIL and disguised pay-for-play,” Saban said. “It gives student-athletes a federal right to earn NIL compensation, but it also creates contract, agent, and enforcement rules so the system has integrity.”

He added, “Athletes should have real freedom. A young person should not be trapped in a bad situation. But unlimited transfer freedom, combined with pay-for-play incentives, has created something very close to unlimited free agency without contracts, without rules, and without stability. That makes it harder to build teams and harder to develop young people.”

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