No one squeezed more blood from a turnip than ‘Bama.
Rejoice, for this is the (slow) day we Gump.
The NCAA has officially climbed aboard the Cruz-Cantwell bill, but has also identified several items that have to be addressed, among them: onerous litigation, preemption of conflicting state laws, and the employment issue.
I suspect two of these can be addressed in markup. However the employment issue is a bitter divide that would bring the whole thing down. Don’t expect that to be included in a final bill. The sides are too far apart ideologically, and three weeks of markups won’t solve that.
If you missed the hearings yesterday, we recapped them for you, with relevant embeds of testimony etc.
Finally, Alabama Baseball has given us a hype video worthy of the namesake. Nick over at BSB’s media department did a great job here.
William Jennings, fresh on the heels of his national runner-up finish at NCAAs, has been named First-Team All-American for Tide Golf. Well done, William.
Okay, so maybe Lane Kiffin was right…
Rebel fans are getting dragged for this — and rightly so. Least of all, because players receive everything free plus the full cost of attendance, plus a stipend. And these folks assume a black kid can’t afford a $12,000 Charger?
They are never beating the allegations in Oxford.
With the advent of NIL, you can make a very good case that almost no one has been getting more out of less than Alabama coaches:
Saban, who voiced his support for the bill introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, said during his testimony that “my first year we had a collective at Alabama,” it spent $2.7 million. It spent $7 million the next year, he said, then had $10 million for the roster during Saban’s final season in 2023.
Saban said the collective spent $17 million a year later and $24 million in what would have been the 2025 season. In the second year under coach Kalen DeBoer last fall, Alabama went 11–4 and lost to eventual national champions Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
The story is the same in basketball and baseball, as well, where Alabama was at the bottom third for several years. And for that matter, this is the first year that the Tide has really opened up the piggy bank for softball.
It’s still wild to think that in a year where Alabama had a meager $13m to spend, Ohio State bought a natty with a roster almost twice as expensive…and the Tide still almost made the playoffs. Don’t tell me the Alabama staff aren’t doing a great job.
Alabama will never be the profligate spender of Georgia or Texas in-conference. But the staffs in Tuscaloosa — who have done a great job with scant resources — have to be be breathing easier now that they have a little change their pockets. And hopefully the wins will follow.
And finally, your moment of levity.
Have a great morning, and take care.
Row Tahd
