Nick Saban has been critical of NIL ever since it was introduced into college sports in 2021. A few years later, he still believes it is hurting college football by turning it into a pay-for-play system that resembles free agency in professional sports. He has also argued that it shifts the focus away from academics.
However, not everyone agrees with Saban. Some believe players are finally getting paid the way they should have been for decades, and that opportunity should not be taken away now. One of Saban’s former players, Trent Richardson, even went viral after responding to his former coach’s comments on NIL.
Advertisement
Claim: Richardson slammed his former coach, Saban, for his commentary on NIL. We will link the quote below.
“Honestly, I don’t get why he’s even commenting on it, they gave me and my family $75,000 just to commit, plus $10,000 a month to stay at Alabama,” an X account tweeted while claiming to quote Richardson.
Source of rumor: The account making the claim on X is called “No3 Sports.” It has around 17k followers and has been active for almost 10 years. On the surface, it appears to be a fairly reputable source.
Verdict: False. No3 Sports is a parody account. As reputable as it seems on the surface, the page says right in its bio that it reports parody news for college sports. This one about Richardson and Saban just happened to hit mainstream news and confuse the masses.
Advertisement
Even two-time Super Bowl champ LeSean McCoy reacted to the tweet, believing it was real.
“Now young players are getting paid their worth and not used everybody has a problem with it .. Trent said it!!!” McCoy tweeted.
So, there you have it. Richardson has not chimed in on what Saban said about the advent of NIL. The former running back does make appearances on Ryan Clark’s podcast, The Pivot, from time to time, but for the most part, he stays out of the media limelight.
All in all, be careful about what you read online. Parody accounts are everywhere nowadays. In fact, some people even take pride in tricking a massive audience into believing a news story that is all but made up.
Advertisement
The post Fact Check: Did Former Alabama RB Trent Richardson Slam Nick Saban Over His NIL Comments? appeared first on The SportsRush.
