"People worried about the wrong thing": Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry speaks on role of NIL in 7x national champ Nick Saban's retirement
Alabama junior cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry recently spoke about former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, offering his thoughts on a possible reason why the seven-time national champion tactician hung up his headset after last season.
The 6-foot-1, 195-lb native of Birmingham, AL, reportedly believes NIL could be partly to blame for Saban calling it quits, as posted by former Heisman-Pro Bowl QB Robert Griffin III on X:
"I was the last class that really he didn’t have to worry about (guys) asking for money and stuff like that coming out of high school. People worry about the wrong things.”
McKinstry continues:
"They worry about the money, he [Saban] always looked at it like, you`re gonna get the money when you get to the league. I`m just here to help you be a better man, be a better player, help you make all the money that you wanna make in the league. Yeah, there`s money here, but this ain`t the money that`s gonna help you take care of your family."
The Alabama cornerback mentioned NIL dealings, which have allowed college athletes to profit from their names and likenesses. However, not a lot of people can truly make life-changing money through NIL. Those who are already quite famous in their own right or are among the absolute best at what they do are able to do so.
Someone like Texas` Arch Manning or former Heisman winner Caleb Williams, are two of the best examples of this. Their famous name and athletic accolades are considered valuable by companies looking to secure NIL deals with athletes.
Why did Nick Saban retire?
Saban`s retirement from Alabama shocked the world of college football. It followed `Bama bowing out in the CFP semifinal against Jim Harbaugh and the eventual champion Michigan Wolverines.
People had their own theories as to why Nick Saban retired, but the college football coach said that doing his job has been even more difficult in the past years due to his advancing age (via FOX Sports).
"Last season was difficult for me from just a health standpoint, not necessarily having anything major wrong, but just being able to sustain and do things the way I want to do them, the way I've always done them," he said. "It just got a little bit harder. So you have to decide, 'OK, this is sort of inevitable when you get to my age.'"
Aside from that, he also mentioned that NIL dealings did play a part in his decision but never got down to the details of it.