Over the last week or two, the hottest topic in college sports has been the possibility of an executive order from President Donald Trump to address the rising level of chaos caused by Name, Image, and Likeness issues in college sports across the country.
This week, news emerged that Trump is now considering forming a commission solely focused on college sports, which is expected to be tasked with studying the issue and what the best path forward could be.
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Someone expected to be very involved in the possible commission is former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, who, according to On3, would serve as the co-chair of the committee. Additionally, On3 later confirmed that the other co-chair is expected to be Texas Tech NIL collective founder Cody Campbell, a natural gas billionaire who has become one of the most prominent figures of the NIL era.
According to the original story revealing the creation of the commission by Yahoo Sports, the body could address a number of issues related to NIL.
“…deeply examine the unwieldy landscape of college sports, including the frequency of player movement in the transfer portal, the unregulated booster compensation paid to athletes, the debate of college athlete employment, the application of Title IX to school revenue-share payments and, even, conference membership makeup and conference television contracts,” the news source revealed.
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During an interview this week on WVNN, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) spoke about the potential involvement of Saban and expressed optimism for what the former coach can bring to the table.
“Nick Saban is going to be a big part of this,” Tuberville said. “President Trump wants to make sure the players are represented and the schools are represented, and the institutions are represented. It’s hard to do that. Trump is gonna have to step in and do an executive order if he thinks he can get it to a position where it will help, he doesn’t want to hurt…what Coach Saban is for and several other people he’s gonna put on this committee.”
This is shaping up to be one of the biggest stories in college sports over the last decade, and it just so happens that Alabama’s former coach has found himself at the center of it.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.