President Donald Trump issued a warning Saturday, saying his predictions about the financial future of top-level college athletics are about to come true.
"College sports is in $BIG trouble, just like I said it would be. A judge, with no knowledge or experience, ruled and, rather than fighting, the sports reps FOLDED. Can’t do that," Trump posted on Truth Social.
Following the Supreme Court’s 2021 decision allowing athletes to benefit financially from their name, image, and likeness (NIL), universities and sponsors have invested millions in attracting elite players.
In July Judge Claudia Wilken approved a deal between the NCAA and lawyers for Division 1 athletes where the league will pay close to $2.8 billion in back damages over the next 10 years to players who compete between 2016 and the present.
Trump signed an executive order in July that seeks to ban so-called "pay-for-play" payments to college athletes, which critics describe as de facto salaries, arguing that college sports in the United States are "under unprecedented threat."
The rapid growth of NIL deals has fueled what many describe as an "arms race," giving an advantage to wealthier institutions, particularly in college football and basketball.
In November, Trump said on "The Pat McAfee Show" that college programs would soon require huge "NFL-type payrolls" to compete and warned that "bad things are going to happen unless they figure this out."
Trump has also backed the idea of a salary cap, arguing schools are being forced to spend too much to land top recruits. "I don’t care how rich, the colleges don’t make that much money, even the most successful, so they’re not going to be able to do this," he said.
During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, setting aside his personal rooting interests, used his remarks to argue for Miami’s inclusion in the playoffs after failing to secure the ACC championship and questioned the college football ranking system.
"I’m a Florida Gator, but if the University of Miami gets screwed out of the College Football Playoffs, after going 10-2 and beating Notre Dame, the whole thing should be scrapped and (Trump) is gonna have to take over next year," Rubio joked.