Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban said Monday night in Birmingham that the Protect College Sports Act would solve most of the problems in college athletics. He also said the bill’s transfer and eligibility rules would take care of situations like that of the NFL tight end now headed to LSU.
Saban spoke at the Nick Saban Legacy Awards at the Red Mountain Theatre, where Mack Brown and the late Lou Holtz were honored. The award is presented each year by the Quarterbacking Children’s Health Foundation, the charitable arm of Birmingham’s Monday Morning Quarterback Club.
He was asked about the bipartisan Senate bill and about Dae’Quan Wright, the former Ole Miss tight end the Cleveland Browns waived Sunday so he could play a fifth college season at LSU under a Louisiana judge’s order on the NCAA’s eligibility clock. If Wright clears waivers, he would be the first known player to go from an NFL roster back to college football.
“I think a lot of the issues that we have right now could be resolved in this bill, if people would get on board with it. But it’s not perfect. But the thing about it is, democracy is not perfect, but it’s better than everything else,” Saban said.
“Tell me something better. This bill is not perfect, but it’s better than everything else, and it’s certainly 100 times better than what we have now, and it probably solves 80% of the problems. We want to stay focused on 20% of the problems that it doesn’t solve.”
Saban said the fixes in the bill would cover Wright’s situation.
“But if you just solve one transfer, control NIL to some degree in terms of a level playing field and five years of eligibility, you would answer your own question about the guy from the Cleveland Browns. Five years of eligibility.”
The bill would give athletes one penalty-free transfer, cap eligibility at five years, bar paid professionals from returning to college and put a hard cap on revenue sharing.
Saban appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee in support of it in June, and the panel advanced it 19-9.
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The SEC and Big Ten endorsed the bill at the end of July, but the Senate left for its August recess without a vote and returns Sept. 14. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), a lead sponsor, said Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has set a September date to take it up.
The bill needs 60 votes and would then go to the House, which has its own bill.
No one sweeping piece of legislation will solve all of the problems in college sports though, but 80 percent as Saban alludes to would certainly be a strong start.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
