It is now being reported, through the Wall Street Journal, that after a meeting with former University of Alabama football head coach Nick Saban, President Trump is considering an executive order regarding the limitation of NIL payments given to NCAA student-athletes.
In a meeting organized by Alabama state senator Tommy Tuberville, President Trump sat down with Tuberville and Saban to help change NIL in college athletics. Trump was recently in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to deliver the University of Alabama’s commencement address. It was reported that at this meeting that Saban complained about NIL to Trump and argued how the system has damaged college sports. Saban did not want to eliminate NIL but reform it to create an even playing field. Trump was reported as agreeing with Saban and would look at drafting an executive order to help reform the current state of NIL in college sports. If Trump follows through, any executive order will likely eradicate years of legal court battles involving the NCAA.
Saban has been an active voice against NIL in recent years. Despite his retirement, which he stated was not regarding NIL, Saban has called for federal legislation to address the matter in 2022 and made several other comments stating that the NIL landscape needs to change. He even had several quarrels concerning this matter with high profile football head coaches such as Deion Sanders and Jimbo Fisher.
If Trump does in fact use his executive order powers to enforce restrictions on NIL payments for student-athletes, it could have a profound effect on college athletics. An executive order could put some order back in the NIL chaos that has erupted but it could also severely limit the earning power and capital of student-athletes. It also likely would end the various and constant legal battles the NCAA has dealt with for the past several years. It’ll be interesting to see if President Trump does in fact put his stamp on college athletics in his presidential term through an executive order impacting NIL.