Nick Saban pushes for players to 'unionize,' has 'no problem' with athletes being paid as employees

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Whenever Nick Saban steps to a podium, he commands the attention of the college football world, and his recent comments at the SEC spring meetings were no exception. 

On Tuesday, Saban suggested college football adopt a pay structure similar to the model that exists in the NFL.

Saban specifically pushed for the creation of some type of union at the collegiate level. 

"I have no problem," Saban said, via CBS Sports. "I mean, unionize it. Make it like the NFL. It's going to be the same for everyone. I think that's better than what we have now."

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Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide during pregame warmups prior to facing the Auburn Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium Nov. 26, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.  (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Other coaches argued the current state of NIL has created an uneven playing field across the college football landscape.

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"Why are we playing around?" Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz told Saturday Down South. "Why are we acting like that's not what this is?"

Some iteration of an employee-employer relationship between the players and the NCAA could become a reality one day.

USC Trojans athletes could soon be designated as employees, pending a decision from the National Labor Relations Board.

In 2021, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh said, "Traditions alone cannot justify the NCAA's decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student-athletes who are not fairly compensated," during the landmark Alston v. NCAA case.

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