Nick Saban to appear in TV commercial in support of Protect College Sports Act

Nick Saban, the former coach of Alabama, is set to make an appearance in a television advertisement endorsing the Protect College Sports Act. This information was confirmed by Pete Nakos of On3. The ad is scheduled to premiere during the opening week of college football. Saban has been an advocate for this bipartisan legislation, which was introduced by senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell back in May.

Initially, it was hoped that the bill would receive a vote in the U.S. Senate before the lawmakers adjourned for a month-long recess. However, this goal has been postponed until the senators reconvene later in the month. In the interim, a commercial promoting the Protect College Sports Act began airing during Week 0, and Saban will feature in one of these ads commencing Week 1, which is the first Saturday featuring multiple college football games broadcast across all TV channels.

The Protect College Sports Act was on track for a vote on the Senate floor after passing through a committee and undergoing markups. Moreover, lawmakers received backing from both the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Big Ten after discussions in late July, culminating in a cloture motion, a crucial step towards a Senate vote, filed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

Nevertheless, the bill did not make it to the Senate floor before the recess. Despite this setback, Cruz and bill co-sponsor Eric Schmitt announced that the Protect College Sports Act is "guaranteed" to reach the Senate floor when the lawmakers return on September 14. This story will be updated.