Greg McElroy shares how NIL impacted Nick Saban's decision to retire
![greg-mcelroy-shares-how-nil-impacted-alabama-head-coach-nick-saban-retirement-decision](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=417,width=795,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2023/11/16132535/USATSI_21820001-1.jpg)
The retirement of longtime Alabama head coach Nick Saban shocked the college football landscape on Wednesday when the legendary head man announced he’s stepping away from the game.
Saban cited health concerns as a major reason for his decision, but many believe that the rise of NIL and the new added responsibilities it has presented to collegiate coaches also could have played a part. ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy, who played under Saban, believes NIL did impact his decision to retire, which he explained on ‘McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning’ Thursday.
“Yeah based on what I’ve gathered NIL did play a role, not the exclusive role, but it certainly played a role,” McElroy said. “Just the constant headache of negotiating with players that are on his team about their happiness, about whether or not they’re coming back.
“Now Coach I don’t think would say that outwardly, but I think it grew tiring and it grew frustrating,” McElroy continued. “So all throughout the season having to navigate through wins, and losses, and challenges, and egos that grow and subside week to week. I think NIL absolutely played a role. If he were coaching in the era of college football in which the players weren’t constantly unhappy, then I think he probably could’ve extended his coaching life.”
In an interview with ESPN’s Chris Low, Saban made it clear that NIL was not a part of his decision saying: “Don’t make it about that. It’s not about that. To me, if you choose to coach, you don’t need to be complaining about all that stuff. You need to adjust to it and adapt to it and do the best you can under the circumstances and not complain about it.”
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But McElroy isn’t quite as convinced.
“But the 14-hour days, half of which are administrative where you’re having to negotiate with guys about whether or not they should practice today, he grew tiresome. So I think that absolutely played a role, I think it accelerated this decision,” McElroy said.
Saban did admit that his 14-hour days were more difficult at 72 years old than they were at 62 years old. At the same time, the game of college football is undergoing massive changes that require head coaches to navigate through uncharted waters regarding recruiting, the transfer portal, and NIL. Adding to the workload and certainly making things more challenging than ever before for collegiate head coaches nationwide.
“But at the same time, Coach always said when he didn’t feel like he can best reach the players that’s when he was gonna shut it down,” McElroy said. “And if he can’t reach the players today the same way he could reach the players five, six, seven, 10, 15 years ago, then it was time for him to move on and give way to maybe a younger coach that has a better understanding of how to deal with those sorts of issues.”
As time passes more and more information will be revealed regarding Saban’s motivations for retirement, but there’s no question that it will surely be interesting to see who the Alabama program decided to replace the legend and fill the big shoes he’s left during the dawn of a new era in college football.