Nick Saban retired from coaching but never really left the building — now he's the face of a multimillion-dollar ad campaign trying to get Congress to actually fix college sports. On a call Monday night with more than 200 college sports stakeholders and lawmakers, Saban told the room he'd be starring in a TV commercial supporting the Protect College Sports Act, set to air during college football's opening weekend, according to Ross Dellenger.
Nick Saban will be the subject of a TV commercial airing during college football’s opening weekend that is supportive of the Protect College Sports Act, he told participants today on a call of more than 200 college sports stakeholders and congressional lawmakers.
The call wasn't just Saban on a Zoom talking to himself. Dellenger reported it also featured Yankees president Randy Levine, Texas Tech regent Cody Campbell, and Sens. Eric Schmitt and Maria Cantwell — the bill's bipartisan backers walking stakeholders through where the legislation stands ahead of a possible Senate vote when Congress returns September 15.
The call with commissioners, presidents and university board members featured Saban, Randy Levine, Cody Campbell and Sens. Eric Schmitt and Maria Cantwell. Lawmakers updated stakeholders on the legislation ahead of a possible vote when Congress returns Sept. 15.
Per Dellenger, congressional staff have flagged 3 sticking points that could still shape revisions before that vote: transgender athletes, conference expansion, and pending litigation. Nobody's expecting the bill to get gutted, but those are the fault lines opponents are pushing on.
The commercial itself dropped Tuesday, and it's not a quiet buy. Dellenger posted the actual ad, and Pete Nakos confirmed the release separately, tagging it as the Saban spot "promoting the passing of the Protect College Sports Act."
Nick Saban commercial promoting the passing of the Protect College Sports Act has been released t.co/RKh2oSmNZt
What makes this more than a feel-good PSA is the money behind it. Dellenger reported the latest ad push is expected to approach $10 million — real lobbying muscle aimed squarely at senators who'll be back in Washington in 2 weeks deciding the bill's fate.
The bill itself, S. 4668, cleared the Senate Commerce Committee 19-9 back in June and even got a formal nod from the Trump administration in August. It would hand college athletes a federal NIL right, let schools pool media rights under new antitrust protection, and bar major programs from cutting women's and Olympic sports to fund the football arms race. Saban's been beating this drum since testifying in front of Congress, calling the framework "100 times better than what we have now." Now he's doing it in prime time, right as fans are locked into their TVs for kickoff weekend — which is exactly the point.