The President of the United States surely has bigger problems than fixing college sports. But Donald Trump has taken a special interest in solving the current instability within the game. It is proving to be easier said than done. After an executive order and the failed SCORE Act, this is the third attempt by Congress when they introduced the Protect College Sports Act.

While there is serious dissatisfaction among college fans with tampering, inflated NIL valuations for student-athletes, and the widening gap between haves and have-nots, the conference leaders remain hesitant to support the latest bill. On June 3, the Senate Commerce Committee held a major hearing to build public momentum, featuring testimony from prominent college figures such as Nick Saban. President Trump also released a statement showing his support while calling out the deep fractures in college sports.

“The goal was to find a Bipartisan solution to fix the problem,” President Trump said in his statement. “Based on these meetings and the expertise of the Leading Authorities, I signed an Executive Order, but I always said that the best solution was to get a Bipartisan Act of Congress to my desk in order to save a long and embarrassing ROAD THROUGH HELL for these Institutions.”

Just glance over the college sports news over the last four months, and you’d understand all that’s wrong with the status quo. Lane Kiffin abruptly left Ole Miss for LSU despite the Rebels’ featuring in the playoffs. In another instance, the NCAA denied QB Trinidad Chambliss’s eligibility, but he obtained a court injunction. But that hasn’t been a uniform practice. Several players have seen their requests denied.

The portal window saw head coaches accusing each other of tampering. Even the NCAA’s decision to ban Brendan Sorsby for gambling is facing a legal challenge. The governing body has become a toothless institution with its inability to enforce its own rules. The calendar continues to be a mess, forcing players to take transfer decision even when their teams are in the playoffs.

“College Sports, a Great American Institution that produces our many Athletes, Leaders, and Olympic Dominance, is a total “mess,” and everyone is saying that it must be fixed. After unending lawsuits and crazed rulings, there are virtually no limits anymore, and soon most Colleges won’t have Sports because each and every one of them will be bankrupt, never to be heard from again.”

The Cruz-Cantwell bill doesn’t call for a complete federal intervention. Instead, it aims to restore some order to curb unregulated pay-for-play models. The legislation will also codify a strict five-year eligibility window for student-athletes. That becomes pertinent at a time when we see players entering their sixth or even seventh year of college. They will only be allowed one free transfer. Any second transfer would force a one-year eligibility pause.

“I’d like to thank Senators Ted Cruz, Eric Schmitt, Maria Cantwell, and Chris Coons, among others, for introducing the Protect College Sports Act,” President Trump said. He also recognized the bipartisan efforts as a genuine attempt to “stop the chaos” and “may be the last chance to save college football.”

However, the bill has received considerable backlash, especially after Saban’s testimony. In all likelihood, even if it passes Congress, the new legislation will see legal challenges from representatives of student-athletes.

Skeptics argue around Saban’s alleged hypocrisy

The Senate hearing on Wednesday morning featured testimony from former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould, former West Virginia president Gordon Gee, and Utah defensive end Lance Holtzclaw.

The Senate hearing did not come without its backlash for the witnesses. Nick Saban has been under fire for advocating regulations on player salaries, while coaches have no caps on their earnings, especially given their outrageous buyout clauses.

Critics further point out that Saban built his dynasty at Alabama by maximizing the university’s massive financial advantages. He weaponized multi-million dollar coaching budgets, state-of-the-art facilities, and support staffs to legally outspend and out-recruit the rest of the country. Detractors argue he supposedly only objects to a financial arms race now that the spending goes directly to the players rather than the program.

For 15 years, competitive balance tilted heavily in Saban’s favor. Skeptics argue that allegedly Saban only stepped away from coaching because above-board, legal NIL distribution allowed donor bases at historically smaller programs to recruit on equal footing.

Saban has also criticized the transfer portal for creating “unlimited free agency without contracts,” making it too easy for players to leave. He also explicitly backed the bill’s provisions to limit mid-season coaching poaching.

But throughout his own career, Saban frequently utilized the absolute freedom of movement afforded to coaches, moving from Toledo to Michigan State, LSU, the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, and finally Alabama to maximize his career and earnings. Critics find it disingenuous that a coach who leveraged mobility to build a legacy now supports federal intervention to restrict player mobility.

But supporters and former players heavily reject the hypocrite label. They emphasize that Saban has explicitly stated he supports players getting paid. From their perspective, Saban is simply an expert messenger attempting to save the sport from legal chaos by advocating for a standardized, national framework with clear rules.