Nick Saban and Donald Trump Slammed in Explosive Backlash Over Controversial NIL Stance—What They’re Hiding May Shock You

When Nick Saban and Donald Trump show up at the same Alabama commencement—and then chat about college sports? You know something’s brewing beyond the usual small talk. Their recent powwow has sparked buzz because the Trump administration is reportedly mulling an executive order aimed right at the heart of college athletics’ hottest topic: NIL. Now here’s the kicker—while these heavyweight figures dive into discussions about controlling athlete payments, not everyone’s thrilled. Steve Berman, a major player leading NIL legal battles, calls their involvement “unmerited meddling,” pointing out that athletes themselves are the ones driving monumental change. It’s almost ironic: Saban, who once staunchly opposed NIL while cashing in as college football’s top-paid coach, now has a loud voice on ESPN—but critics say his interest might be about protecting the old guard. So the real question is: in a world where college athletes are finally cashing in big, who really benefits from the fresh scrutiny looming ahead? Let’s unpack what this all means for the game and those making it. LEARN MORE.

Former Alabama football head coach Nick Saban and President Donald Trump were together last week at the University of Alabama’s commencement ceremony. During that time, the two of them discussed the current landscape of college athletics. The Trump administration is reportedly considering an executive order that targets NIL.

NIL has been a major change to college athletics in recent years, and there are people working to create solutions. House settlement leader Steve Berman is one of them, and he isn’t happy with Nick Saban and Donald Trump getting involved.

“Coach Saban and Trump’s eleventh-hour talks of executive orders and other meddling are just more unneeded self-involvement,” Steve Berman said in a release on Monday . “College athletes are spearheading historic changes and benefitting massively from NIL deals. They don’t need this unmerited interference from a coach only seeking to protect the system that made him tens of millions.”

Saban was against NIL during his time with Alabama, and he has not shyed away from voicing his opinion on the matter since retiring. Saban still has a big voice in the college football world as he is now a member of ESPN’s College GameDay.

“While he was a coach, Saban initially opposed NIL payments to athletes, pushing to add restrictions and red-tape through national legislation to add ‘some sort of control,’” Berman said. “During his time scrutinizing the athlete pay structure, he made tens of millions of dollars and was previously the highest-paid coach in college football.”

The exectutive order that is under consideration would reportedly “increase scrutiny” on payments 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,” a report from the Wall Street Journal stated.

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