Nick Saban presents strong/weak arguments against SEC's new transfer policy

Published Jun. 4, 2015 7:06 p.m. ET

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The SEC recently passed a new rule prohibiting teams from accepting transfers who have been subject to "serious misconduct" at their previous institution. The rule was proposed by the Georgia Bulldogs and passed during the recent SEC Meetings.

Most met the news of this new rule as a step in the right direction, as domestic violence among athletes has become an all to familiar theme in college and NFL football in recent years.

However, not everyone is happy about this rule, as Nick Saban publicly stated his case against the new rule, according to the Anniston Star.

“Cam Newton being in the SEC and Nick Marshall being in the SEC benefited the SEC,” Saban said. “And it benefited those players. If those players were not allowed to play in the SEC, they’d be playing somewhere else.”

Perhaps Saban doesn't have a complete understanding of the new rules, as both Newton and Marshall would still have been eligible to transfer to Auburn had this new rule been in place during their transfers. Both players were dismissed from their teams following theft related incidents, not domestic violence, sexual assault or other forms of sexual violence that the SEC labels as "serious misconduct."

The fact that Georgia presented this rule following their dismissal of Jonathan Taylor in July of 2014 after he was arrested for domestic violence, only to see him end up on Alabama's roster six months later can't be seen as purely coincidentally. Taylor was dismissed by Alabama after being arrested once again for domestic violence in March.

While he may be in the minority on the subject, credit should be given to Saban for using his clout in the world of college football to attempt to help student-athletes that may need it the most.

“What I see happening a lot is people don’t get convicted of things, they’re condemned as soon as they get arrested,” Saban said. “I’m not sure that’s fair because I don’t think that’s what our country was really built on.”

Saban also appears to take issue with the fact the SEC is attempting to set a standard that not all of college football teams have to live by.

“When we pass rules that other people (teams) we have to compete against (don’t pass) ... If that really is what’s best for the young people we’re dealing with, the student-athletes that we’re dealing with, then it should be best for everyone or otherwise we shouldn’t do it,” Saban said. “I’m hopeful that some kind of way we’ll be able to get the Big 5 together under the NCAA’s supervision to try to create rules that we all see in the best interest of student-athletes.”

It appears Saban takes issue with the league's policy on helping troubled student-athletes but at the same time he is concerned by the thought of competing on an uneven playing field in regards to transfers to other conferences. So the real question is, is Saban concerned for the players or does he have his own goals in mind?

(h/t Anniston Star)