Former Alabama star comes out in defense of Nick Saban with "develop boys to men" remark

Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly, who played college football at Alabama from 2011 to 2015, recently commented on his previous coach Nick Saban's view on Name, Image and Likeness.

Kelly defended Saban’s take on NIL, saying the coach was responsible for developing "thousands of former players" into good people on off and the field.

“This. There are thousands of former players for him who are better men/husbands/fathers/ (inset career field) because he cared,” he wrote. “He demanded the most on and off the field, guys respected that standard. The college game needs that. Develop boys to men.”

Saban said he supported NIL but worried about unregulated fundraising by booster collectives. He felt this could create an uneven playing field where richer schools buy top recruits, jeopardizing competitiveness in college sports.

Saban expressed his concern during a Washington roundtable. He argued that the current landscape threatens the very soul of college sports.

“It’s whoever wants to pay the most money. 'Raise the most money, buy the most players' is going to have the best opportunity to win,” Saban said. “And I don’t think that’s the spirit of college athletics, and I don’t think it’s ever been the spirit of what we want college athletics to be.”

Nick Saban walked away from millions

Nick Saban called it quits in January after 17 seasons at the helm of the Alabama Crimson Tide. The decision came after the team's 27-20 Rose Bowl loss to Michigan.

Interestingly, this move came despite the Alabama Board of Trustees offering Saban a record-breaking $93.6 million contract extension for the next eight years, securing his position through 2030. The deal would’ve made Saban the richest coach in college football.

This deal would have earned Saban an annual pay exceeding $11.7 million. By choosing retirement, Saban left a significant amount of money on the table, walking away from over $70 million in potential earnings.

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