While Alabama coach Nick Saban stopped short of saying the unionization of college football would be a good thing, he does support the movement for players to get a seat at the table and gain more benefits.
Via AL.com’s Michael Casagrande, Saban weighed in on a debate that’s not going to end anytime soon:“I’ve always been an advocate of players’ rights. I’ve always been an advocate of players being compensated the best that we can to help them,” Saban said. “Whatever the NCAA rule is and whatever they decide to do, I’ve always been an advocate of the player and the quality of life that a player has. I think that having a voice in what happens, I think, is something that the players probably ought to have.”
“And I’m really not opposed to that at all. I do think that it’s not what it seems.”There’s more in the story from Saban, who dives into Alabama’s player and career development program and how that benefits players. But given Saban’s program is the closest thing to the pros you’ll find at the college level -- as former Crimson Tide defensive end Damion Square said last year, “this is the next level” -- it’s not too surprising Saban’s in favor of players having more rights and better compensation.