Is anyone siding with Nick Saban as he continues to whine about NIL?

Nick Saban was on Capitol Hill this week, testifying about what is going with Name, Image and Likeness in college sports.

During the course of his testimony, Saban lamented that everything he knew about college football for 50 years no longer exists and that players are more concerned about how much they’ll be paid rather than they’ll be developed when choosing where they want to go for college.

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz had some thoughts on Saban and his testimony on Wednesday’s show.

Dan has a simple question: Is there anyone out there supporting Nick Saban after these comments? Those who watch GoJo and Golic on DraftKings Network weekdays at 8 a.m. ET know that Mike Golic Jr. and Mike Golic Sr. are firmly on the side of the players in this debate.

Dan is quick to point out the sheer hypocrisy of Saban making these comments after all the money HE made off the backs of his players over the years.

Dan notes that greed has been a contaminant for years everywhere, but it’s not until it reaches the college football players that it really becomes a problem that has to be addressed. Dan points out that when the college kids want to get paid, Saban, seated next to Ted Cruz of all people, is willing to go full Tommy Tuberville in the name of the “greater good” of Alabama and programs like it being the best. But Saban’s not against NIL folks, he wanted to make that clear in his comments on Capitol Hill.

Jessica points out that this isn’t really new, as it has seemed to be Saban’s position for a while now, dating back to his kerfuffle with now ex-Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher. Jessica does think that there are a lot of people who think that there needs to be some form of restriction and regulation when it comes to NIL, even if the problems arise when trying to figure out how to do that and with the notion of putting a cap on athlete NIL compensation when the coaches have unfettered access to wealth and riches.

Amin, who could barely contain his laughter listening to Saban deliver his monologue about NIL, took note of Saban’s acting job when his voice broke during the course of his testimony, as well as Saban noting that he’s always liked the college game better than the NFL. Of course, Saban would prefer dealing with the kids, he could tell them what to do! In the pros, naysayers didn’t have to listen because they were getting paid! The whole thing was hilarity to Amin.

Check out the full discussion above and make sure to tune into The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network!

SHOW BREAKDOWN

Local Hour: Aaron Rodgers for Vice President?

• Today’s crew: Dan, Stu, Amin, Jessica, Charlotte, Billy, Roy and Chris. The show starts by discussing Aaron Rodgers being listed as one of RFK’s finalists to be his running mate. The show then pivots to Nick Saban’s comments in front of Congress on NIL and breaks down the amount of money he was making while coaching at Alabama. Then they relive Pablo Torre’s epic orca costume and play a video of what Dan considers to be the funniest moment in show history.

Big Suey: Graz? Who The Hell Is He?

• Jess and Stu are laughing about athletes in sports that connote the monarchy. Our Friendly Neighborhood Race Lady, Jemele Hill, joins the show to continue the discussion on RFK and Aaron Rodgers, plus other celebrities considering runs for President, including The Rock and Steph Curry. Jemele has a story about her husband experiencing racism and what it’s like to be married to her. Next, Dan wants to discuss Greg Cote’s continued meteoric rise to superstardom and the show continues the conversation about concerns with AI. Plus, Billy fights with his car and Dan can’t say the names of former college head coaches. Finally, the show dives into numerous NFL topics while Stugotz dismisses Dan Graziano.

Hour 1: Athletes That Connote Royalty

• We kick off the hour with a segment of Amin Knows Basketball before Charlotte takes us headfirst into the Kate Middleton photoshop drama. Jessica reveals her Top 5 Athletes That Connote Royalty. Then Jeff Jarvis joins the show—but Stugotz does not—to discuss AI and a wide range of topics about journalism. Plus, do people know who Paul Giamatti’s father is? We re-make some old movies and the show discusses the success and failures of the different Drive to Survive-esque series on Netflix after Break Point was canceled.

Hour 2: Me And Ted Danson

• Dan wants to know if anybody cares that Neve Campbell is returning to the “Scream” franchise, which leads to the show discussing the movies that scared them as kids. Also, Amin is very excited about the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. He tells a story about meeting Ted Danson and telling him he is friends with Charles Barkley. Then, Rajan Rondo joins the show for an interview in which he ranks the Top 5 Smack Talkers on the ‘08 Celtics. Plus, internet commenters are really mean and Jessica and Charlotte’s first words were the same.

Postgame Show: Sign Up For Merch Madness!

• Jessica has a few corrections to make and Charlotte has a Queen Elizabeth impersonation. Amin met Ted Danson on a plane and told him he was friends with Charles Barkley. Plus, the show reveals plans for the Merch Madness Bracket Challenge, which you can sign up for at lebatardaf.com.

VIDEO:

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