Trump pushes bipartisan college sports bill with help from Nick Saban and other sports figures

President Donald Trump has taken a personal role in promoting a Senate-backed bipartisan college sports bill, meeting with senators and recruiting former Alabama football coach Nick Saban to advocate for the legislation. According to a White House official, Saban has been "out there in front, sort of helping shape and counsel the president in his engagement and how to best shape this."

The bill aims to establish a national framework for college athletic agreements after recent legal disputes disrupted the system, while stopping short of defining student-athletes as employees. It emerged from negotiations led by Senators Ted Cruz, Eric Schmitt and Maria Cantwell and has drawn support from the Big Ten and SEC conferences.

Senator Schmitt said the president views the effort as a "substantial policy objective" that could improve opportunities for young people and ease economic and competitive pressures on college athletes. The legislation is scheduled for a vote in mid-September after the Senate recessed for the summer.

While some Republican senators, such as Rick Scott of Florida, have raised concerns about conference-realignment provisions, others, including John Kennedy of Louisiana, are weighing amendments on ticket-price caps. Democratic opposition remains, with senators like Cory Booker and Chris Murphy voicing criticism. The bill’s passage will depend on securing enough bipartisan support in the Senate.

Trump’s involvement reflects his broader strategy of leveraging sports connections—such as New York Yankees President Randy Levine and various conference commissioners—to build momentum for the bill and demonstrate a bipartisan achievement ahead of upcoming elections.