Trump Calls for Congressional Action on College Sports

President Trump is ramping up pressure on Congress to overhaul the business of college sports, warning the current system could be "lost forever" without immediate federal intervention. The push centers on a draft proposal from a White House-backed committee that calls for creation of a task force empowered with an antitrust exemption to set national standards overriding state laws.

Among the ideas under consideration are pooled media rights across conferences, limits on coaching salaries, rewritten eligibility rules, transfer portal changes and rules targeting salary-cap circumvention through third-party name, image and likeness deals.

Trump signed an executive order last month that described college athletics as an "out-of-control financial arms race" fueled by loosening rules around player compensation, transfers and eligibility. The order states that further delay is not an option given what is at stake, citing roughly 500,000 annual educational, athletic and leadership opportunities and nearly $4 billion in scholarships provided by universities.

The White House has warned that the current model is driving universities into debt, threatening women’s and Olympic sports and undermining student-athletes’ educational opportunities. It directs agencies that contract with or provide grants to higher education institutions to evaluate violations of college athletics rules, including eligibility limits, transfers, revenue sharing and improper financial activities such as fraudulent NIL schemes or use of federal funds for athlete payments.

The draft document obtained by Yahoo Sports and reported by The Associated Press calls on lawmakers to act before Congress leaves for its traditional August recess. Congress has been stalled for more than a year on legislation that would codify parts of a House settlement placing revenue sharing into effect.

Among the most divisive proposals is pooling media rights across conferences. That idea is opposed by the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten but backed by a group led by a Texas Tech regent who has argued it could add billions in value. The proposal also addresses an ongoing arbitration case brought by Nebraska football players after the College Sports Commission rejected their NIL deals.

Officials have urged college athletics governing bodies to clarify rules before Aug. 1 on limits to eligibility, transfer rules, medical care for athletes and protections for women’s and Olympic sports.

Trump raised alarms about the direction of college sports during a White House roundtable last month, stating that "crazy things are happening" as players stay in school longer and earn more through NIL deals. Legendary coach Nick Saban has advised the administration on the executive order and warned that without new regulations on transfers and eligibility, college athletics face chaos and financial ruin.

Without a national solution, the administration has warned, financial pressure created by football and basketball programs could force schools to cut other sports or fundamentally reshape college athletics. The executive order builds on years of debate following changes that allowed athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness.

" — White House executive order, May 2026 (Fox News) The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Associated Press contributed to reporting on the draft committee document and stalled congressional efforts.