Donald Trump could soon be in the business of how college football athletes are paid. The 47th President of the United States recently had a meeting with former Alabama head coach Nick Saban about how NIL is affecting college athletics.
Saban is a well-known critic of the current NIL model, which is shaking up football in the modern era. He worried about there not being a level playing field as players jump ship each offseason in a sport that has elongated the postseason in an effort to make more money from TV advertisements.
Donald Trump wants to increase “scrutiny” on the NIL system
Per the Wall Street Journal, Trump is considering signing an executive order to increase “scrutiny” on funding that goes to college athletes.
“The Trump administration is considering an executive order that could increase scrutiny of the explosion in payments to college athletes since 2021, after the president met with former Alabama coach Nick Saban, White House officials said,” per the WSJ report.
“Trump met with Saban on Thursday night when he was in Tuscaloosa to deliver the University of Alabama’s commencement address. Saban talked about “NIL” deals with Trump, telling the president how he believed the influx of money had damaged college sports.”
College football: Nick Saban is concerned about the free market
Saban wasn’t worried about how the influx of money in the sport allowed him to sign a contract valued at $93.7 million in 2022. Saban profited from a CFP model that increased the number of games athletes must play at the expense of their health and academic studies.
Per the WSJ, Trump’s administration will study what the executive order could look like. As for Saban, he doesn’t want NIL to end but wants reform.
“Saban didn’t propose ending NIL but “reforming” it, according to a person with direct knowledge of the meeting,” pre the WSJ report. “He described how it was causing an uneven playing field, the people said, with an arms race among powerhouse schools.”
Blue-chip programs have always competing for championships. The CFP system tried to cram the field full of SEC and Big Ten teams last year. Saban has been a defender of SEC programs since he coached in the conference.
There’s little here to think that Saban is looking out for the Boise States of this world.
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