Nick Saban reveals conversation with wife, Terry, that contributed to retirement: 'Why are we doing this?'

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Legendary Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban was among a roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, to talk about the future of college athletics, specifically finding a balance in the new world with the transfer portal and name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. 

Saban surprisingly called it quits for his historic career after the 2023-24 collegiate season, which ended in a Rose Bowl loss to the eventual national-champion Michigan Wolverines, and the pay-for-play landscape that college sports has become seems to have played some role in his decision even if he has denied that was the case in past interviews. 

In front of the panel with Cruz, who is involved in drafting NIL legislation, and others like Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, Saban provided an anecdote with his wife, Terry, who shed some light on his future. 

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Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban kisses his wife after a post game press conference after a college football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, November 12, 2022 in Oxford, MS. (Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"All the things I’ve believed in for all these years — 50 years of coaching — no longer exist in college athletics," Saban said when asked by Cruz if the "current chaos" in college sports led to his retirement. "It’s always was about developing players, always been about helping people be more successful in life.

"My wife even said to me — we have all the recruits over on Sunday with their parents for breakfast. She would