Nick Saban discusses Protect College Sports Act, how it relates to coaching contracts
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Nick Saban discussed the Senate’s passage of the Protect College Sports Act during Tuesday’s “First Take.” While it passed the Senate with overwhelming approval, it remains to be seen what happens now that it’s headed to the House of Representatives.
The bill includes a cap on how much revenue schools can pay players. That said, an amendment sought by Senators Cory Booker and Chris Murphy to put a cap on how much coaches could be paid was not added.
Saban, though, feels the conversation should shift from how much coaches should make to how much their buyout should be if they’re fired. And those numbers have been astronomical: Brian Kelly, for example, is due $54 million from LSU over the next six years.
“Rather than worry about amount of people make, I think the thing that has been difficult is when coaches get fired and they have these huge buyouts, and everybody says, well, how can the university afford to pay him that?” Saban said.
“I think you can figure out, okay, you can’t have any more than a five-year contract or whatever it is. And maybe the buyout can only be so much, but I think that’s maybe a better way to approach it than try to make these two things.”
Overall, Saban thinks that player earnings caps vs. coaching compensation caps are dealing with “totally different markets.”
“That’s like asking me, does a student scholarship equal the professor’s pay? I mean, how much value does a coach create for a university?” Saban asked rhetorically.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
