Nick Saban to Speak at Capitol Hill NIL Roundtable

Texas Senator Ted Cruz is hosting a roundtable that will feature Saban, Alabama athletic director and NIL stars the Cavinder Twins, among others

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban is one of the noteworthy names invited to Capitol Hill next week to participate in an NIL roundtable discussion hosted by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

The 1819 News was among the outlets reporting the roundtable.

Saban retired in January after his Crimson Tide lost to Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Cruz, who recently drafted legislation that would codify NIL regulations, is touting the discussion as highlighting "the urgent need for Congress to find consensus and pass bipartisan legislation to codify name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights for student-athletes."

Saban will attend the roundtable along with his former boss, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne.

Saban hasn’t gone silent in retirement. He’s already inked a deal to be a part of the ESPN College Gameday crew this fall and a recent report indicated that he knew it was time for him to step aside after noting trends that he had seen what players were caring more about in the NIL era.

Along with Cruz and Byrne, another U.S. Senator, Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) will participate. One conference commissioner, the ACC’s Jim Phillips has been invited.

Two college athletes that blazed a trail in NIL will also participate — Haley and Hanna Cavinder. Haley will return to college basketball next season with TCU.

Also expected to participate are The Collective Association president Russell White and NIL attorney Darren Heitner.

The college game has undergone drastic change in the NIL era. Recently news broke of a basketball tournament set for Las Vegas in November that would pay out millions in money to school collectives for participation, along with a bonus to the team that wins the tournament.