Nick Saban responds to Finebaum’s call for him to be college football czar
For years, there has been a cry for one individual to reign over college football as a commissioner or a czar.
It makes sense with the college football landscape in constant flux with conference re-alignment, the transfer portal and NIL in constant motion, uniformity is difficult – almost impossible – to attain. Thus, the call for one person to rule over the college football world makes sense in a lot of way.
In an interview on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” which was taped after his round at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am on Wednesday, the SEC Network analyst was in Nick Saban’s hot seat. The former Alabama coach – now an analyst with ESPN – opened the conversation with a question, turning the tables on the former newspaper reporter.
“What’s the solution?” Saban asked Finebaum about the state of college athletics.
Finebaum was quick with an answer.
“I think, coach, there is a solution to the question,” Finebaum replied. “And, if you will bear with me for a second, I know you can be impatient every once in a while as an interviewer because you have watched me a few times.”
“That’s like the pot calling the kettle black,” Saban shot back.
“I think the solution to college football is you need to quit wasting time being on TV and you need to be what everybody in my business has suggested,” Finebaum replied. “You need to be the czar of college football. If you agree to that right now, we can solve a lot of problems.”
Saban reacts to Finebaum admitting coach wasn’t easiest interview
While he didn’t bite on whether he would even entertain such a role, he did give his thoughts on what needs to change to make college athletics work, including federal legislation.
“There’s problems that have to be solved,” Saban said. “There’re lawsuits that have to be solved. Until we get all that in order, we’re not gonna be able to have some kind of protocol of rules and who governs those rules, so we don’t have litigation problems and we don’t have Title IX issues moving forward.
“I’m for the players getting paid,” Saban said. “I just want it to be a system where everybody has a competitive balance so we don’t lose the spirit of college football.”
