President Donald Trump considering executive order on NIL after Nick Saban meeting
After meeting with former Alabama coach Nick Saban this week, President Donald Trump is considering an executive order “that could increase scrutiny” of NIL payments and the future of college athletics, the Wall Street Journal reported. Saban introduced Trump ahead of Thursday’s commencement address in Tuscaloosa.
During their meeting, which took place Thursday night, Saban expressed concern about the amount of NIL dollars added to the college sports landscape, according to the Wall Street Journal. The legendary coach said he thought it was damaging college athletics. Trump agreed and said he would consider drafting an order, telling aides to start studying what that could look like.
Saban’s point was more about “reforming” NIL, the Wall Street Journal said, and creating more of an even playing field. That echoes similar comments he made publicly about the need for competitive balance as the space continues to shift.
NCAA leadership has taken multiple trips to Capitol Hill for discussions about NIL and college sports. Last month, leaders from across collegiate athletics took a trip to Washington, D.C. for College Sports Day. Saban has also spoken in front of Congress about regulation, notably doing so in a roundtable hosted by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) last year.
NCAA president Charlie Baker and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey also spoke multiple times about the need for national legislation to help regulate NIL. Saban also did so on ESPN’s College GameDay this past football season, calling for stability with both NIL and the transfer portal.
“I personally think we probably need some national legislation to make the rules the same in all the states because right now, different rules govern each state in terms of what you can and can’t do with players,” Saban said in December. “I think it’s up to the NCAA to sort of [say], we’ve gone overboard a little bit to give these players all these opportunities. You have to have contracts.
“If you have a contract, you have a responsibility, and you have to fulfill the contract. … It’d be for coaches and players, and the players should make money. I’m not against the players making money. They should make money. But they should have a contract and a responsibility to fulfill, just like a coach does, and there’s some penalty if you leave a team and you have a contract. Just like most coaches have buyouts, and they pay them if they leave. … I think the NCAA is afraid of lawsuits, so they need some legal protection from litigation for this to get fixed.”
NCAA also waiting on House settlement decision
News of the executive order consideration comes as the college sports world waits for a decision on the landmark House v. NCAA settlement. The agreement would transform the landscape and usher in the revenue-sharing era if fully approved. In addition, athletes would have to report any deals worth more than $600.
Judge Claudia Wilken issued an order last week delaying final approval of the settlement, telling attorneys to change verbiage regarding roster limits in the agreement. She gave them two weeks to do so, and that deadline is coming up May 7.
During the April 7 hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Wilken told attorneys for both the plaintiffs and NCAA to address her concerns about roster limits within one week. Lawyers then filed a supplemental brief, but did not change the verbiage around roster limits after Wilken suggested phasing them in or grandfathering athletes currently on rosters.
In her order, Wilken said she would deny settlement approval if the roster limit changes are not made. She added that while the settlement received preliminary approval, that did not mean final approval was a certainty.
