Trump rips NIL ‘disaster’ in Oval Office, warns it’s killing college sports

When President Donald Trump hosts an lawsuit successful the Oval Office and opens things up to questions from the media, arsenic helium did connected Friday portion hosting members of the 1980 Miracle connected Ice team, you get a batch of dumb questions.

I mean, I get that opportunities to inquire the president a question are astatine a premium, but with Jim Craig and Mike Eruzione connected hand, is that the clip to inquire astir Venezuela?!

President Donald Trump gestures to the assemblage earlier the commencement of the NFL Super Bowl 59 shot crippled betwixt the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, successful New Orleans.  (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Anyway, astatine slightest 1 subordinate of the property asked a question that made a batch of sense, and it had to bash with NIL.

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That's fitting, arsenic backmost erstwhile the Miracle connected Ice squad played, the Olympics were strictly for amateurs, and astir of the squad was plucked from assorted collegiate rosters.

Had they played 40-plus years later, they whitethorn person been rolling successful immoderate of that NIL dough.

But, arsenic the president noted — and Sen. Ted Cruz would hold with — the existent authorities of NIL is simply not sustainable and could origin superior harm to assemblage athletics, and adjacent the Olympics.

U.S. President Donald Trump, joined by the 1980 U.S. Olympic men’s crystal hockey team, holds up a measure to grant the squad successful the Oval Office of the White House connected Dec. 13, 2025 successful Washington, D.C.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

TRUMP WARNS COLLEGE SPORTS ARE IN 'BIG TROUBLE' IN CRYPTIC POST

"I deliberation that it's a catastrophe for assemblage sports," President Trump said. "I deliberation it's a catastrophe for the Olympics, because, you know, we're losing a batch of teams. The colleges are cutting a batch of their — they would telephone them benignant of the ‘lesser’ sports, and they're losing them similar astatine numbers cipher tin believe. They were truly grooming grounds, beauteous grooming grounds, hard-working, fantastic young people. They were grooming grounds for the Olympics.

"And a batch of these sports that were grooming truthful good would triumph golden medals due to the fact that of it. Those sports don't beryllium due to the fact that they're putting each their wealth into football. And by the way, they're putting excessively overmuch wealth into it, into football."

President Trump noted that the top-performing diversion programs aren't making capable wealth to prolong themselves, fixed the complaint astatine which they're paying highly sought-after players.

U.S. President Donald Trump stands with Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day arsenic helium welcomes the 2025 College Football National Champions from Ohio State University to the White House during a ceremonial connected the southbound tract successful Washington, District of Columbia, connected April 14, 2025. Ohio State won the nationalist title by defeating Notre Dame 34-23. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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"They're putting each of their wealth in, and I cognize thing astir it," President Trump said. "They volition not beryllium capable to stop. You person a assemblage president [saying], "I'm telling you, sir, we springiness a defender $7 million, we're going to triumph the nationalist championship,' and they'll springiness them seven, past they won't triumph it.

"And adjacent if they bash triumph it, colleges cannot spend to beryllium paying the benignant of salaries that you're proceeding about."

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