Nick Saban: 'I don't think we need a commission' on college sports. Here's why
VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. — Nick Saban continues to be at the center of conversation about a recently announced federal commission on the future of college athletics, one that will tackle NCAA sports in the age of Name, Image and Likeness.
But the former Alabama football coach reiterated a message that he's continued to push since he was announced a co-chairman of the commission along with Cody Campbell, a former Texas Tech football player and chairman of the university's Board of Regents.
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"I know there has been a lot of stuff out there about some commission or whatever. I don't think we need a commission. I've said that before," Saban said before the Nick's Kids Golf Tournament at the Old Overton Club in Vestavia Hills. "I think we need to know what the issues are. I think we just need to have people who are willing to move those and solve those and create some solutions for some of those issues. I'm all for being a consultant to anybody who would think that my experience would be beneficial to helping create some of those solutions."
To Saban, that doesn't mean that all the issues regarding the NCAA and NIL are solved.
"I'm not anti-NIL. I'm all for the players for making money," Saban said. "I don't think we have a sustainable system right now. I think a lot of people agree with that in terms of the future of college athletics period, not just football. How do we sustain 20 other non-revenue sports that create lots of opportunities for people and the future?"
Saban said he knows President Donald Trump is "very interested in athletics" and the changing college football landscape that includes NIL and "having a balanced competitive playing field."
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"If I could be a consultant to anyone who might be able to help the future of college athletics, I would be more than willing to do that," Saban said.
Ahead of the Regions Tradition Golf Tournament in Hoover May 14, Saban said he didn't "really know much about this commission."
"I think we know what needs to be done, I just think we've got to figure out who's got the will to do it," Saban said. "I learned one thing about coaching for all these years that when you get into a subject like this that's very complex, it's probably good not to talk about it off the cuff."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Nick Saban reiterates lack of need for federal commission on college sports
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