Nick Saban’s first season as an analyst on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’, was mildly shocking for fans. He showed so much personality and a sense of humor that many had never witnessed in his 17 years as Alabama’s football coach, but some things are not to be joked about, and comedian Shane Gillis learned that the hard way. Remember when he quipped that Saban and SEC schools would pay their players to sign high school recruits before the NIL became legal in the NCAA?

Sure, it was just a joke, but it came from a place of real belief. There has been plenty of conjecture over the years about how the blueblood programs earned that status. They bred success with the best-in-class personnel. The best talent has always been concentrated around certain schools. One reason was history and prestige. Another was geography. But there’s also an underlying notion that some schools broke the rules and paid players before NIL was even a thing.

What Gillis said is a prevailing sentiment across fans of the sport and the media alike. So much so that even Pat McAfee acknowledged it back in 2022. This coincided with a time when Nick Saban was very vocal in pushing back on the advent of NIL, which made for some lazy but rational discourse that Saban was only against because it would introduce more parity and affect Bama’s dominance. Now, in a new video relayed on the “CFB Tingz” YouTube channel, the host relayed McAfee’s comments made on his namesake ESPN show: Comments that gave the notion Nick Saban and Alabama were “cheating” both a prominent voice and platform.

Saban had accused Deion Sanders and Jimbo Fisher of recruiting players using NIL while they were at Jackson State and Texas A&M, respectively. In response, ‘Coach Prime’ stated that the accusations ‘stung’, while Fisher even called Saban a ‘narcissist’. Off the back of this, Pat McAfee said, “A lot of people will see this as potentially hypocritical. Because everybody has assumed that for a long time, Nick Saban had been cheating and paying players and under the table.”

“Paying family members to have jobs in the area so their bank accounts change [and] not the players’ bank accounts change. People are driving around in nice cars. That’s what the word was about Nick Saban from outside of Alabama,” remarked McAfee in the excerpt from over two years ago. These accusations are still relevant in casting a cloud over Saban’s success in Tuscaloosa. Alas, this stuff will never be proven, but there is no smoke without fire. There’s a motion underway with the House Settlement to stop any such illicit activity from happening in the future. 

Are actions being taken to reprimand situations akin to Nick Saban-Alabama?

It’s an era of uncertainty in CFB, with the House Settlement looming. You can go down two paths: Be reactive, or be proactive. The governing body, NCAA, often falls into the former category. But remember the time it took to resolve the Michigan sign-stealing case against Jim Harbaugh, for instance?

Hence, the Power conferences are taking the onus upon themselves to fall into the latter proactive category. They’re coming together to defeat a common opponent—inequality. Yes, NIL has allowed a certain level of parity. Budding programs are now afforded the chance to build rosters that are competitive with the traditional powerhouses. But there’s still a gap, and that too could cease soon. 

The House Settlement kicks in sometime during the summer, and it’s seeking to include a salary cap. But whenever money gets involved, problems arise from it. Owing to this, a new entity is being formed, which will govern and regulate the “professionalized aspects” of the sport. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported the Power conferences were established in order to oversee, manage, and enforce the athlete compensation system for all of NCAA Division I. 

Some of the most prominent athletic directors in the Power 4 are stepping in to take charge and fill in any loopholes. They’ll be the ones who oversee that all schools are falling in line with the salary cap. By extension, they’ll also be the ones issuing punishment for any misdemeanors. Ohio State’s Ross Bjork, Clemson’s Graham Neff, and Texas A&M’s Trev Alberts are involved. 

For years, CFB was akin to the Wild West. No real laws and those that are in place are mere words absent of weight. If Nick Saban’s Alabama and other blue-chip programs did abuse loopholes in the legislature, it went largely unnoticed. As the sport gets closer to a professional operation, things are looking better—at least from a legitimacy standpoint. This revelation with the governing entity, and a whole lot more, will become transparent come April and the House Settlement’s verdict. As for Saban and Bama, the accusations are perpetual: A tax on their achievements in some ways. What do you think?