The Ole Miss-Clemson tampering saga left the entire college football world reeling from its aftereffects. But when Nick Saban took that backdoor roster war all the way to a U.S. Senate hearing, it became something much bigger than a standard SEC-on-ACC heist.
On Wednesday Morning, Nick Saban addressed a plethora of issues plaguing college football when speaking before the Senate Commerce Committee in support of the bipartisan “Protect College Sports Act” co-authored by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
Nick Saban Calls for Action on Tampering
Dabo Swinney’s “blatant” tampering allegations were a solid point in Saban’s speech, with the 74-year-old calling out the flawed system without name-dropping Pete Golding or Swinney.
“Clemson had a player that was on campus for a whole week and (Ole Miss) came and got him off the campus and took him someplace else,” Saban said during the hearing entitled “Protecting College Sports: Supporting Student Athletes, Restoring Fair Competition, and Saving the Games Fans Love.”
“These kinds of things going on in college football are absolutely not what any of us signed up for, relative to the educational institutions that we’ve all tried to represent.”
“We have nothing to control tampering. You know, Clemson had a player that was on campus for a whole week, and they (Ole Miss) come and got him off the campus and took him someplace else”
Per Swinney’s claims, Golding allegedly poached Luke Ferrelli while he was enrolled at Clemson with a picture of a $1 million check.
“Unlimited transfers creates free agency, and free agency with a collective, now you’re talking about a bidding war for players,” Saban added.
“And then you have agents out there that are not certified, that are encouraging players to get in the portal (because) I can get you more money. Now we have this unbelievable number of players that get in the portal every year and we have nothing to control agents, and we have nothing to control tampering.”
“Clemson had a player that was on campus for a whole week, and they came and got him off campus and took him someplace else,” Saban continued.
Ole Miss has denied any participation or non-participation so far, but the rumors were enough to bring attention to the urgent need for stricter rules. Saban fired off the exact message in the starting minutes of his testimony, making the dire state of college football undeniable.
Why Saban’s Words Have a More Far-Reaching Impact
GettyNick Saban opens up on the dire state of college football via Ole Miss-Clemson example.
The former Alabama head coach, addressing the incident, brought the glaring issue back in the spotlight, which remains without a solution. SEC is still “looking into” Swinney’s allegations and is waiting for an answer. Ole Miss, on the other hand, is waiting for the hammer to potentially drop.
However, after devoting more than five decades of his life to the sport, Saban is speaking up for things that need attention.
According to Greenville News, the bill “aims to address transfer regulations by instituting a one-time transfer then a requirement to sit for a year, barring a coaching change, if an athlete seeks to transfer again.”
Ever since Swinney dropped the tampering bombshell on the Rebels. Pete Golding has defended themselves and even threatened to expose the “rampant” tampering in college football if he is sanctioned.
Nick Saban’s Thoughts on Ole Miss-Clemson Says Volumes About College Football