Nick Saban rejects politicizing Donald Trump’s executive order: ‘It should be nonpartisan’
· Yahoo Sports
Donald Trump said at the college sports roundtable last month that would sign an executive order to save college athletics. He followed through, but expects it to be challenged in court before it goes into effect on Aug. 1.
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Nick Saban, who has been a leading voice on the matter, doesn’t appear to be a fan of any potential dispute. Amid the mixed response following Trump’s EO, the seven-time national championship-winning coach explained why he believes college sports shouldn’t be politicized in the first place.
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“People say it should be bipartisan,” Saban said in a recent interview with Fox News. “I think it should be nonpartisan.
“I think the spirit and passion that we all have for college athletics is really important to the fabric of our country. It’s also beneficial to create many opportunities for young people who may not have an opportunity for college and improve the quality of their life.”
Saban has taken issue specifically with the continuous litigation from student-athletes against the NCAA each offseason. Players suing the NCAA for a fifth, sixth and sometimes even seventh year of eligibility based on personal circumstances have become all too common over the past year alone.
Trump’s executive order firmly outlines that it wants to establish “clear, consistent, and fair eligibility limits,” which includes a five-year participation window. Additionally, it wants to limit transfers among student-athletes in an attempt to improve academic and athletic continuity.
Still, some believe the president may not have legal authority to reign over NCAA eligibility rules in the first place. This could end up being one of the more contentious point of the process moving into the summer.
For Nick Saban, he’s arguably become the biggest advocate of college athletics having a firm set of rules for NIL across the board. To him, Trump’s executive order does just that, and it appears to have his support.