U.S. Senator Ted Cruz paid a visit to the press box at Kyle Field prior to Alabama football’s matchup with Texas A&M in College Station, joining Aggie athletics director Ross Bjork. The Republican’s main purpose for stopping by was to garner support for his federal NIL legislation, which would give the NCAA governing power over athlete NIL.

But Cruz, who showed up in a maroon suit jacket, found time to express his support for Alabama’s Saturday opponent.

“I am proud to be cheering for the Aggies today,” Cruz said. “I was here two years ago when A&M played Alabama and (the Crimson Tide) were the number one team in the nation when they arrived and they were not when they left and that was an extraordinary game and I’m looking forward to hopefully continuing the streak today with enormous Texas hospitality, but also putting up the W at the end of the game.”

Cruz’s NIL bill has not yet made it out of committee in Washington. It largely reads as an NCAA wish list, giving the organization power over NIL and an antitrust exemption and prohibiting athletes, even those who help generate millions of dollars in revenue for their schools, from being classified as employees.

There are multiple NIL bills circulating congress. Cruz’s is reported to be the least athlete-friendly of the current group.

In the 2021 game Cruz referred to, the Aggies upset the Crimson Tide, prompting a field rush. Texas A&M lost last year’s game in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama and Texas A&M are scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be aired on CBS.