Trump reportedly considering NCAA payment limits through executive order following meeting with coach Nick Saban
The president has told his team to start looking into writing an executive order to limit the amount of money in college sports, a new report has claimed.
President Donald Trump met with legendary college football coach Nick Saban last Thursday when the president was in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to give a commencement speech at the University of Alabama.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Saban spoke to the president about "NIL" deals and told him he thought the influx of money into college sports has been damaging.
Trump reportedly agreed with Saban and said he would have his aides begin to study what a potential executive order could look like.
Furthermore, Saban's suggestions allegedly did not include ending NIL payments, but "reforming" them, according to a person who was said to have direct knowledge of the meeting. Saban reportedly suggested the NIL payments were causing an uneven playing field and have resulted in an arms race among the bigger schools.
This echoed Saban's comments from January, when he claimed on a radio show that the NIL "model is unsustainable."
'There's some parity. Now that everybody can pay their players.'
It should be noted that Saban has been widely criticized for hoarding talent when he coached in Alabama and that name, image, and likeness rules have since leveled the playing field so that players at other schools can still receive compensation.
Even comedian Shane Gillis, a staunch Notre Dame supporter, said in January that Saban was sensitive to criticisms that he is upset that other schools can now pay their players.
"This feels different. Feels like we can win it. You know? There's some parity. Now that everybody can pay their players, Notre Dame has a shot. It's not just the SEC. It's not Coach Saban," Gillis said at the time.
The comedian revealed weeks later that Saban did not care for the comments when they both appeared on an episode of "ESPN's College GameDay."
Gillis said Saban exploded when he approached him, saying, "You think the SEC dominated because we cheated?! That's bulls**t!"
"He spazzed on me," Gillis laughed.
The NCAA declined to comment to the Wall Street Journal regarding a potential executive order. However, the outlet cited NCAA spokesman Tim Buckley, who said the governing body was confronting some of the challenges facing college sports.
The vast majority of the NCAA's money does not come from college football, though. As Blaze News reported, over 85% of the NCAA's revenue comes from college basketball's March Madness tournament. However, college football has some of the country's biggest young stars, who now generate impressive revenue streams for themselves through endorsements.
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'They look a certain way': Comedian DL Hughley accuses black Philadelphia Eagles players of not caring about black people
Comedian D.L. Hughley said black Philadelphia Eagles players who visited President Trump at the White House are obviously the type of men who do not care about issues that affect other black people.
Hughley launched attacks at the president and called him a racist who is "eroding black history" and rolling black people back to a point of being "nonexistent."
The Philadelphia Eagles recently visited the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl win in February, and media members and commentators were quick to attack running back Saquon Barkley for golfing with the president ahead of the visit.
Hughley, while speaking to TMZ, rejected the idea that the event was a historical formality and criticized Barkley and other Eagles players for honoring a president "who assaults black people" and "insults [black] history on a daily basis."
"I think that it's not just political. What Donald Trump has done and is doing to black history is unsavory and is undeniable. Donald Trump is deliberately trying to erase black people's history, for whatever quest."
'He seems like the type of guy who would do that and be indifferent to what's happening to black people.'
Hughley then launched into a diatribe and claimed he is able to tell that certain black people, simply by observing them, are the type of people who do not care about other black people.
"Any black man that [goes to the White House] is going to obviously catch some level of heat. When a black person does it, when it's a black person, I can always tell what kind of black person. I can always tell what they are."
Hughley continued and claimed that Barkley had a white girlfriend who used the "N-word" in reference to a song, which served as evidence for him that he is the "kind of guy that is indifferent to what black people go through."
"It's just true," Hughley continued. "And I think I've noticed that to be consistent with a lot of black people who show up [to Trump events]. So to me, he seems like the type of guy who would do that and be indifferent to what's happening to black people."
TMZ's Harvey Levin challenged Hughley, saying that in his experience, the president is willing to listen to "the last person in the room" and said surely it is worth it to try to have a conversation with the president on policy rather than not engage him due to his perceived beliefs.
"If you're just out of the game, good luck to you for the next four years," Levin said.
Hughley persisted, though, and said Trump has a "lack of respect for black people" and draws in black people like Barkley.
Barkley recently responded to criticisms by saying, "Maybe I just respect the office," and that he had also recently golfed with President Barack Obama, proving his impartiality on the matter.
However, those remarks sparked even more backlash, particularly from Philadelphia-area sports writer Les Bowen, who took to his X account to say Barkley did not grasp the politics he was getting himself involved in.
"Saquon is a good person & a wonderful player. It’s tricky when people in sports, with huge platforms & good intentions, blunder into stuff they don’t fully grasp," Bowen wrote. "To me, this is 'Reggie White at the Wisconsin legislature' level cluelessness. Not a bad guy, but out of his depth."
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'I don't want this entitled person on my team': Shedeur Sanders was passed on because of his attitude, NFL insiders claim
Shedeur Sanders fell off the draft board of nearly every team because of his arrogance and attitude, NFL insiders have reported.
Former NFL quarterback turned analyst Boomer Esiason said NFL owners told their teams to take Sanders off their draft boards after he "torpedoed himself."
'I think he was very off putting to many, many coaches and general managers in the league.'
Esiason echoed what many reporters and analysts have been saying about Sanders, the son of NFL legend Deion, in that the young quarterback's attitude off the field and at the NFL Combine was what dropped him from a first-round draft pick to a fifth. By most accounts, Sanders was lucky to be drafted even then.
"When you listen to this kid talk, prior or at the Combine, about 'if you want a new culture in your locker room, I'm the guy to do that, I can turn it around.' I mean, he's very high on himself, and I think he was very off-putting, off-putting to many, many coaches and general managers in the league," Esiason said on WFAN660 radio. "I'm telling you right now — and I know this after talking to three different personnel people in the NFL this weekend — they didn't even have him on their board. They took him off, and they took him off because the owner said, 'Take him off.'"
Relaying what he was told owners had said, Esiason recalled, "'I don't want that guy. I don't want this entitled person on our team,' and I don't blame them."
Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter had a similar report from his conversations with NFL staff members. On the "Fully Loaded" podcast, Carter said there were many factors that hurt Sanders' draft ranking.
Not only did Carter feel it was a disservice for Sanders to not participate in the NFL Draft Combine, but also his attitude in his interviews, his media statements, and his father's advocation hurt his image with teams. According to Carter, Sanders may have hurt his chances with many teams in the future, as well, because of his attitude, as general managers and coaches will remember their first interaction with him.
"Let me tell you what he understands today, OK?" Carter explained. "He ain't running s**t, OK? Let me tell you what, they taught him a great lesson. Like, you don't have this figured out, your dad don't have this figured out."
Despite President Trump advocating for Sanders' talent and bloodline, critics seem to agree that Sanders was the author of his own demise.
CBS Sports NFL reporter Jonathan Jones said Sanders "sandbagged" several of his interviews and "did not give it his all" in meetings with teams he did not think would draft him, which "rubbed some teams the wrong way."
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said an assistant coach told him that Sanders conducted "the worst formal interview" he had ever witnessed in his life.
The assistant coach used a now all-too-familiar term, "entitled," to describe Sanders, and he added that he has "horrible body language," "blames teammates," and actually is "not that good," Pelissero relayed, per Yahoo Sports.
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Ex-NFL player training for a comeback ... while in prison for vehicular manslaughter
Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III is reportedly training for an NFL comeback while behind bars in prison.
A former first-round draft pick in 2020, Ruggs pled guilty to one count of driving under the influence resulting in death and one count of vehicular manslaughter in 2021. Ruggs' accident led to the death of a 23-year-old-woman when he hit Tina Tintor with his Corvette, allegedly with alcohol in his system.
The plea deal, according to CBS Sports, resulted in 36 to 120 months for the first charge, a felony, and an additional six months for the second charge, a misdemeanor.
Ruggs will be eligible for parole in August 2026 and has reportedly been allotted time while in prison to work out for a potential return to the NFL.
Interestingly, the revelations have not come from Ruggs himself, but rather from Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs. The Pro Bowl rusher said he has stayed in touch with Ruggs since they were teammates in Alabama.
"I still talk to Henry. Henry still calls me. I still help him out. ... We're still connected. I know his whole family. He's from Alabama. He played with me at 'Bama. His momma and them taught me how to bowl. ... Keeping up with him and hearing him talk, it brings me spirits, because he's always positive," Jacobs explained.
Jacobs, 27, said that Ruggs has been training in prison and that he has been making calls in hopes of getting help to get in front of some teams upon his release.
"He's positive about everything. He's training. They let him train and things like that, so I'm like, 'When you come out, man, I don't know if you will get a chance.' I've been talking to some people for him. They've been saying a couple of teams are willing to give him a chance. I'm like, 'When you get that chance, man, you better not, ever, don't look back, and prove to yourself and prove to everybody that one decision don't define you and who you are as a man.'"
'He's a good kid. He's never been in trouble. I've never seen him do nothing crazy.'
Jacobs attempted to paint Ruggs in a favorable light, as one would expect, describing the incarcerated player as the "breadwinner of the family" who has been changing his family's life.
"I had some words with some [of his family], and I'm just like, 'Man, y'all got to understand, like, he the breadwinner of the family. He the one changing all of y'all's lives. Everybody.'"
"And then not only that, he's a good kid. He's never been in trouble. I've never seen him do nothing crazy," Jacobs continued. "He was just one of them guys that have a very, very unfortunate situation and something happened, a decision that he made. That's what hurt me the most. Man, he isn't somebody you would look at and be like, 'Bro, you deserved this to happen to you.'"
Ruggs played for the Raiders in 2020 and 2021, recording 921 receiving yards with four touchdowns in 20 games. The 26-year-old also had 11 kick return attempts while with the team.
When Ruggs signed his rookie contract in 2020, he was making an average salary of $4.17 million, with a $9.68 million signing bonus.
His entire $16 million contract was guaranteed upon signing.
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'Jesus won': Las Vegas Raiders top draft pick centers achievements around God
Boise State's Ashton Jeanty added to the growing acceptance of Christianity in the NFL when he was selected early in the first round by the Las Vegas Raiders.
At No. 6 overall, Jeanty became the highest-drafted Boise State player in the school's history. The accolade will be hard for him to escape, but it has been his faith that he has managed to keep at center stage.
As he was about to exit the draft stage, Jeanty was asked to provide advice and what he would say to his 10-year-old self. The athlete said, "Just continue to trust in God and your abilities, and stay disciplined."
"All your goals and dreams are accomplish-able," he added, per Sports Spectrum.
Soon thereafter, Jeanty sat down for his first press conference for Las Vegas to get introduced to the Raiders' fanbase. The young running back was asked a lot about his character — which is something that was of particular focus for the team's coaching staff — with one reporter asking how much faith is a part of Jeanty "as a man."
'God had His hands on this [Boise State] program.'
"It's everything,” Jeanty replied. "That's what I've been rooted in. That's what helped me get to where I'm at in this point. I'm just thankful for that relationship with the man upstairs because it's given me so many opportunities."
Jeanty has reportedly been featured in pro-Christian videos with organizations such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In a video for that group, Jeanty described himself as a "Christian cleverly disguised as an All-American running back."
"I've learned that God has blessed me with amazing talents. I've just been able to do a lot of great things with it, but at the same time, not losing yourself in it and understanding that my identity is in Christ," Jeanty said in the video.
He added, "God had His hands on this [Boise State] program. I could see that Christianity was a big thing here and that guys were real big on their faith. I learned to embrace that, and all the guys and people around the facility have embraced me."
Boise State was founded by the Episcopal Church in 1932.
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Boise State had a second man of faith drafted late in the sixth round; defensive end Ahmed Hassanein immediately referenced his faith on a media call afterwards, as well.
"[My time at Boise State] taught me so much, other than being a football player and a pass rusher. It taught me how to be a man. A man of God. A man of honor. A man of respect."
According to CNN, Hassanein previously converted from Islam to Christianity and soon become a leader in the Boise State locker room.
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Blaming Shedeur Sanders’ Late Draft Selection On ‘Racism’ Is As Dumb As It Gets
What's truly 'crazy' is automatically placing nonexistent 'racism' as the source of Sanders' fifth-round selection.Wide receiver slaps fan in the face in humiliating video, sparking investigation
Wide receiver Samson Nacua was captured on camera slapping an opposing team's fan following a loss.
A UFL game between the Michigan Panthers and the St. Louis Battlehawks generated buzz for all the wrong reasons after the game when a Panthers player got into it with a fan. Inside the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, the Battlehawks had just beat the Panthers 32-27 when Nacua was seen in a video mid-altercation with a St. Louis fan who was leaning over the railing of the stands.
As the fan leaned closer and Nacua inched toward him, the wide receiver flinched once before he reached up and slapped the fan across the face. Receiver Adonis Alexander was also seen standing nearby; he pointed and laughed at the fan before a Panthers staff member got between him and the fan.
The video was widely circulated online and in one instance on X was seen about two million times.
The UFL later released a statement saying the incident was under investigation.
"The UFL is aware of the incident that took place last evening at the conclusion of the Michigan Panthers vs. St. Louis Battlehawks game in St. Louis. League officials are currently investigating the matter," the league said, per ESPN.
The fan's name is currently unknown, and there are no known social media posts or public comments from him regarding the incident. Neither the UFL nor the Panthers have provided additional commentary on the matter regarding punishments to the player.
The 27-year-old receiver is the brother of 23-year-old NFL receiver Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams. Puka is a Pro Bowl player and considered one of the best up-and-coming receivers in the league.
A third Nacua brother also plays for the UFL's Panthers, Kai Nacua, who plays safety.
Samson has seven catches for 117 yards and one touchdown this season in the UFL. He attended Utah and BYU in the NCAA and reportedly tried out for the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints in the NFL.
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