Nick Saban Has Made It Clear Which Way He Leans Politically

07/03/2024 05:04 PM

Legendary Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban doesn't speak out very often on non-sports topics, but over the years, he's made it pretty clear which way he leans politically.

Saban, who retired following the 2023 season - which ended with a loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff - has indicated that he's at least somewhat of a Democrat.

The legendary college football coach is a longtime friend of a Democratic United States Senator, whom he has endorsed. He has also spoken out about being pro-union. 

From Slate.com:

But Saban has indicated over the years that he does care about professional politics and is at least a little bit—emphasis on "a little bit"—of a Democrat. The former coach, a native West Virginian, is a longtime friend of retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and endorsed him in his 2018 reelection. In 2022 Saban signed a letter urging Manchin to help pass voting rights protections, though Saban later clarified by way of a media leak that he did not support going around the filibuster. 

Saban said last year that college football players should be unionized and explained to an interviewer, "General Motors and the automotive industries had unions for a long time and they survived fairly well." Saban is a registered voter in Alabama, but the secretary of state's office doesn't list a party affiliation. Saban's agent, Jimmy Sexton, did not reply to emailed questions about whether Saban would have any interest in running or under which party affiliation.

Former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville is famously a Republican politician. Many believe that if Saban wanted to, he could run for office in Alabama and win.

But it doesn't seem like Saban has any interest in that. He'll be working for ESPN's "College GameDay" this fall.

Related: Deion Sanders Makes His Opinion On Nick Saban's Wife Extremely Clear