Jimbo Fisher: Players Have Been Profiting Off NIL, 'They Just Haven’t Been Telling Anybody'

As the SEC Media Days are underway, Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher took his turn in the rotation of speakers and had some thoughts on the ongoing name, image and likeness conversations.

Fisher said the new NIL guidance creates a level playing field because players have been doing it for a long time and just not telling anyone, SI Bulldogs' Crissy Froyd reports.

“Some people have been doing Name, Imagine and Likeness for a long time, they just haven’t been telling anybody. Now we’re all on a level playing field," Fisher said, per Froyd.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who also spoke on Wednesday, had a different perspective on the topic when asked about NIL deals and Bryce Young.

"... Players have always been able to work and earn money," Saban said during SEC Media Days Wednesday. "That's something you could do 10 years ago, 20 years ago — that's something I did when I was a player."

He said the college landscape changed to some degree when players got cost of attendance and rules allowed for players to go to summer school on scholarship, something that wasn't always allowed, he said.

"Most players — with this additional money and the opportunity to advance their academic circumstance — chose not to work," he said. "All we've done is created an opportunity for players to work..."

Saban’s full comments on Bryce Young’s name, image and likeness deals and how that can affect a team’s chemistry can be seen in the clip below:

Saban emphasized regarding the comments he made earlier this week that there is no way to know how things will play out because there is no precedent for it.

Although it's not clear who Jimbo was talking about when he said "some people," it seems like he may have an idea of some schools that have been doing it. What do you think?

New FanDuel Sportsbook users can make their first bet risk-free up to $1,000. If the bet loses, the FanDuel Sportsbook will refund you in site credit. New users can lock in this offer NOW by clicking this link.

Follow Meg Turner on Twitter @Megnturner_ and Instagram @Megnturner.