Donald Trump says college sports ‘turning into pro sports’ with no rules, urges for bipartisan bill to sign
The clock is ticking for lawmakers to pass the College Sports Protection Act, which is being discussed further at a Senate Commerce hearing on Wednesday.
Now President Donald Trump is weighing in on bipartisan legislation created by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) that is currently being debated among congressional leaders and college athletic officials on Capitol Hill.
One of the issues affecting college athletics right now is how schools can keep up with those within the Big Ten and SEC, who also oppose any legislation that would require them to approve pooling media rights with other conferences.
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Although the bill says this part is optional, there are still doubts about how much financial support it will actually provide for schools that want to create a large pool.
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Former University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban arrives to testify before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
On the other hand, as Nick Saban stated repeatedly on Wednesday, the current roster pay model has reached a critical point. The former Alabama head coach testified that his former school had only $2.7 million to work with from the NIL collective in its first year of existence.
According to Saban, this figure jumped to $24 million in Alabama last season, although we are also witnessing some schools spending over $40 million this season.
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“But that’s not the same as turning the NIL into a pay-for-play system. It’s not the same as using collectives and outside organizations to create bidding wars for new recruits and transfers. When the system turns into whoever raises the most money gets the best players, then we, as millions of fans, are no longer talking about college athletics, and I know that.”
President Trump, for his part, has signed two executive orders since last summer aimed at addressing current problems in college athletics, but has even acknowledged that they will be challenged in the courtroom.
He is now calling on the Senate and House of Representatives to find a solution to the newly introduced legislation so it can pass both chambers and be signed this summer.
“College sports are turning into professional sports, but with absolutely no rules, it’s an outcome no one wants.” Trump said on Truth Social:. “University presidents, conference commissioners, student-athletes, coaches and athletic directors have complained that after years of inaction, this has become a disaster and schools are losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
“They likened it to a freight train that couldn’t be stopped.”
Runaway train, fast car, all moving at an incredibly fast pace
On Wednesday, Nick Saban compared it to someone who can’t pump the brakes on a Ferrari speeding down the highway.
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Donald Trump, on the other hand, is looking for some kind of solution that could sign the bill into law this summer. And yes, this seems like a difficult task when there are many divided opinions, but not impossible if there are adjustments.
“The House has worked long and hard on this issue as well, and I am very grateful to Speaker Mike Johnson and Leader Steve Scalise for their work to resolve this very big issue,” Trump said.
“I call on the House and Senate to come together to pass final bipartisan legislation that I can sign this summer that reflects the views and input of both Houses. WE MUST SAVE COLLEGE SPORTS!”
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a roundtable discussion on “Saving College Sports” held in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on March 6, 2026. The new council is expected to discuss a potential antitrust exemption for college sports. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But minutes after Trump explained his thoughts on the bipartisan bill, a problem arose.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was already pushing back on the bill, citing “major issues” in his chambers that it would continue to create challenges in the court system as well as in the House of Representatives.
“I’m glad they’re doing some work on the Senate side, but you have to block the employment status of student-athletes before the House can take up any issues.” Scalise said. “And you don’t want to open up entire schools to lawsuits from trial lawyers, which creates a much more contentious environment. These are things that create big problems on the House side.”
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Getting everyone on track with a solution is a challenge, but it is possible.
There was always going to be pushback from Parliament, but this will clearly be an obstacle that will need to be addressed and talked about.
In other words, negotiations will accelerate, especially with LSU alumnus Steve Scalise pushing the alarm button.
“No one can credibly say they are going to introduce a bill on college athletics and get opposition from two major college athletic conferences,” said Steve Scalise of Louisiana. And yes, he was talking about the SEC and Big Ten.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during a roundtable on college sports in the East Room of the White House on March 6, 2026. The Trump administration hosted the event titled “Saving College Sports” with leaders from the Power Four conferences, media executives and former coaches. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Now that the Senate’s first trial is complete, the process is moving into the amendment phase that could result in a vote.
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But with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti meeting with lawmakers on Thursday, you can be sure there will be a series of tense discussions.
With both Republicans and Democrats voicing their opinions on the legislation, the race is on until August, with the congressional recess essentially serving as a “Drop/Add” date for this bill to pass.
