Alabama's Nick Saban remains against current NIL system, regrets singling out schools

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Alabama’s Nick Saban apologized for singling out Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher and Jackson State coach Deion Sanders for his remarks about schools paying recruits to play football.

Saban told ESPN on Thursday he didn’t mean to suggest the schools were cheating but said he doesn’t like schools using name, image and likeness (NIL) deals to essentially buy players. He said using collectives and things of that sort wasn’t good for college football.

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Head Coach Jimbo Fisher of the Texas A&M Aggies talks at midfield with Head Coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 22, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

"Look, I should have never singled anybody out, and I wasn't saying that either one of those schools did anything wrong," Saban said. "I didn't intend it to mean they were buying players, but more that you're able to buy players now, and it's totally legal. You're just using name, image and likeness to do it. What I'm saying is that it's not good for the game and is only going to get worse unless there's some federal legislation."

Saban said he doesn’t want to get into a public issue with Fisher, who was an assistant under the legendary college football coach while the two were at LSU in the early 2000s.

"Jimbo can say what he wants to say. We've known each other for a long time. He worked for me and is a very good coach. As I said, it wasn't my intention to single anybody out, but I don't take things personally. Some people, when they compete against each other, everything's personal. It's never been that way for me. Bill Belichick and