Trump executive order on NIL could limit athlete pay, prevent employee status

It seems every day or two there's another move to try and fix the quagmire that paying college athletes has become

President Donald Trump is the latest to weigh in, signing an executive order Thursday titled Saving College Sports

Trump said the order was needed because the future of college sports is under unprecedented threat

from lawsuits that do away with limits on payments to athletes, the transfer portal, and pay-for-play recruiting tools

The order is worded in much the same way as the settlement in the landmark House vs. NCAA lawsuit

which allowed schools to pay athletes directly for the first time. The College Sports Commission was created to monitor outside payments from name, image, and likeness collectives

It's been a rough go so far, with no standards or guidelines to follow

But give it time, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said Thursday. I do credit Tony and the leadership that we have at the top of college football to try to find some solutions

But the truth is what happened is four years ago or whatever, this got let out of the tube

And now people are trying to figure out how to fix it. And it's tough to fix. Like the College Sports Commission, the president's order restricts deals from third parties unless they reflect a fair market value

For example, being paid simply for showing up at a university-sanctioned event would not be permitted

but an endorsement of a product or service is okay. The executive order also mandates that athletic departments offer a certain number of scholarships for athletes in non sports including women sports Trump has directed members of his cabinet to develop a plan in the

next 30 days aimed at enforcing his order and preventing college athletes from becoming

professionals. Many conference commissioners and athletic directors are against students becoming employees and unionizing. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne gave his stamp of approval on X

saying the University of Alabama applauds this executive order from President Trump

to help ensure a long-term sustainable model of intercollegiate athletics. But Steve Berman, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs

in the House versus NCAA case, is opposed to limits on athletes' pay

and he has a strong message for the president. Plain and simple, college athletes don't need Trump's help

and he shouldn't be aiding the NCAA at the expense of athletes

Mr. Trump boasts of his deal-making prowess. As a result of our case, college athletes are now free to make their own deals

For Trump to want to put his foot on their deal-making abilities is unwarranted

and flouts his own philosophy on the supposed art of the deal

Step back, Mr. President. It's not known how Trump's order will be enforced

The actions are also separate from the SCORE Act legislation making its way through the House of Representatives

Thursday, NCAA President Charlie Baker said congressional action is still needed. There are some threats to college sports that federal legislation can effectively address, he said

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis