WASHINGTON—Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban and other college sports leaders testified Wednesday at a hearing for a bipartisan bill that seeks to overhaul the system of player payments and transfer freedom. The Senate Commerce Committee convened to discuss legislation unveiled last week that aims to break congressional gridlock on regulating college athletics.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R‑TX) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D‑WA), would restrict payments to athletes, limit them to one “free” transfer in their career and enact a “Lane Kiffin Rule” that bars coaches from leaving programs mid‑season.
“If you had the biggest, baddest Ferrari that you could ever have and it was going 150 miles an hour toward the Grand Canyon, somebody needs to tap the brakes,” Saban said in his opening remarks. “And I think that’s what we all need to do here.”
Alongside Saban, the hearing featured Notre Dame’s athletic director and the commissioner of the PAC‑12 conference. Representatives from the SEC—where Saban has won seven national championships—were notably absent.
The SEC and Big Ten, the two most powerful conferences, oppose the bill, arguing it leaves “critical issues unresolved.” Sen. Cantwell contended the legislation would restore competition to college athletics, ensuring success is driven by team building rather than wealthy benefactors.
Addressing the conferences’ opposition, Cantwell suggested they fear “that somebody’s going to come in and rearrange the deck chairs of those conferences, steal the eyeball schools, and then basically leave everybody with everything else.”
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