"I'm not really for collectives": Nick Saban drops blunt reaction on NIL collectives while providing alternate solution to aid funding

Former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban gave a blunt reaction to his thoughts on NIL collectives.

Saban announced his retirement as head coach of the Crimson Tide this off-season. However, Saban appeared at the NLRB legislative hearing to discuss NIL in college sports, and he thinks NIL needs to be earned and not given.

“They still have name, image and likeness opportunities,” Nick Saban said, via On3. “They can still do name, image and likeness. They still have those opportunities. But it’s not going to be created. It’s going to be something that they all earned.

"In other words, I’m not really for collectives. I respect what these folks over here do. But I think those funds should go to the institution. Not to create opportunities."

Saban went on to explain that while he favors sharing college sports money with student-athletes, he opposes athletes becoming university employees.

“I think the system that we have in the NFL, where players are employees would be better than the system that we have now because at least it creates parity,” Saban said.

Dartmouth's college basketball team made history on March 5 as they voted to unionize, making the group the first college sports team to do so in the United States.

Dartmouth College has already filed an appeal with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), setting up this appeal, which will take place on Tuesday.

Nick Saban retires as head coach of Alabama

Nick Saban retired as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide following the school's loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl.

Alabama won the SEC but suffered an OT loss in the college football playoff semi-finals. He cited health and age concerns as reasons for his retirement, but he gave another reason recently, as he was disappointed with how his players reacted after the loss to Michigan.

"I was really disappointed in the way that the players acted after the game. You gotta win with class. You gotta lose with class.

"We had our opportunities to win the game and we didn't do it, and then showing your ass and being frustrated and throwing helmets and doing that stuff ... that's not who we are and what we've promoted in our program," Saban said via CBS.

Saban also thought his messages were not translating to the players anymore, which also factored into his decision to retire.

Saban won six national championships as the head coach of Alabama.