Nick Saban didn’t exactly confirm reports he will be co-chairman of President Donald Trump’s proposed commission on college sports, though he does have some thoughts on the matter.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday prior to playing in the Regions Tradition Celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament alongside Auburn legend Charles Barkley at Greystone in Birmingham, Saban said the focus of the commission isn’t entirely clear to him. However, he did say he’s willing to listen and to help out if asked.
“To be honest with you, I don’t really know much about this commission,” Saban said. “I don’t really know what this commission would do. 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.
“I’ve 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. So I’ll find out more about it.
“If there’s something that I can do to help college football be better, I’m always going to be committed to do that. I was committed to do that as a coach, to help players be more successful in life. And I would continue to do the same thing now.”
The Athletic reported last week that Saban — now an analyst for ESPN’s College GameDay after retiring from Alabama following 17 seasons as head football coach — will be co-chairman of the commission along with Texas Tech Board of Regents member (and former player) Cody Campbell. According to the report, Saban met with Trump when the president was in Tuscaloosa for Alabama’s commencement ceremony.
Saban reportedly told the president that the “influx of money” via NIL had “damaged college sports.” In addition, the Wall Street Journal reported that Saban “urged” Trump to get involved.
Nevertheless, when asked Wednesday if he was “worried” about the current state of college football, Saban replied “not really.”
“I think that there’s always things that we could do to improve it,” Saban said. “And I know there’s a lot of people out there that are concerned about the direction that we’re headed in. But I also know there’s a lot of good people out there that can do the type of things you need to do to get it moving in the right direction.”
