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Former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said that NIL — the name, image and likeness of NCAA student-athletes — has hurt the SEC, the conference he coached in for a long time.

Saban, 73, coached for a couple of years in the NIL era before retiring at the end of the 2023 season. The legendary coach said that NIL helps schools up north in terms of recruiting.

“I do think that the culture in college football right now, with name, image and likeness (NIL) and paying players money, has actually maybe hurt the SEC a little bit, and helped the schools up North,” Saban said during a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” per On3.com.

“Because if you’re making your decision about money, and someone is going to pay you more to go to Ohio

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