President Donald Trump tried to put some teeth into his latest attempt to save .
The threat of cutting funding to cash-starved schools that don鈥檛 comply is real, even if the stricter rules Trump wants to come out of the executive order he signed Friday could take a while to figure out.
In the order signed hours before the women鈥檚 Final Four tipped off one of the biggest weekends in college sports, Trump went after eligibility rules, transfers and the spiraling costs associated with an industry that now pays its players millions of dollars per year.
He called on federal agencies to ensure schools are following the rules and threatened to choke off federal grants and funding 鈥� a similar approach his administration has taken to force universities around the country to alter policies involving diversity, equity and inclusion, transgender rights and even the kinds of classes they offer.
In some ways, forcing those changes might seem like child鈥檚 play compared to making major changes to college sports. The NCAA, the newly created College Sports Commission, the four power conferences, dozens more smaller ones and hundreds of educational institutions all have a say here: It鈥檚 a big reason Congress, which Trump instructed to act quickly, has been stuck for more than a year on this.
鈥淚’m glad to know the President wants Congress to pass something,鈥� said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., a key member of the Senate committee looking into changes, who mentioned ongoing bipartisan negotiations.
Trump鈥檚 order was his second since last July and it included a laundry list of proposed fixes, many of which lawmakers and since the approval of changed the face of games that were once played by pure amateurs.
In one of the more clear-cut demands in this order, Trump called for 鈥渃lear, consistent and fair eligibility limits, including a five-year participation window,” that limits athletes to one transfer with one more available once they get a four-year degree.
鈥淚’m extremely supportive of the President’s order,鈥� said Cody Campbell, the Texas Tech regent and billionaire who is helping shape policy. 鈥淚’m very excited that we’re making progress and look forward to continued work in the (Congress) to permanently preserve a system that’s done so much for America.鈥�
At a , Trump said he anticipated any order he signed would trigger litigation. Athletes have largely won the freedom to transfer almost at will via the portal along with the ability to be paid by schools that are now doling out more than $20 million a year to their athletes.
Some of those players have also been suing the NCAA about eligibility limits, and their right to do that has been a major sticking point in the Congressional deliberations.
Trump also raised the need to fix revenue-sharing in a way that protects Olympic sports, which are most in peril if the college funding model spirals out of control.
Sarah Hirshland, the CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said Trump’s order 鈥渟ends an important signal about the value of preserving and promoting investment in women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 collegiate Olympic sports in America.鈥�
As much as the changes he directs, Trump鈥檚 call for the Education Department, the Federal Trade Commission and the attorney general鈥檚 office to evaluate 鈥渨hether violations of such rules render a university unfit for Federal grants and contracts鈥� stands out as a way to force change.
Several universities across the country have made policy changes to comply with federal orders and avoid funding-related showdowns with the government. It hasn’t prevented big-named schools like and from facing huge debts.
鈥淔rom what I saw, some of the social media traffic, it鈥檚 pretty clear that he made clear that we need Congressional action to sort of seal the deal on a number of these things, which is good, because we do,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said.
Commissioners at the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern Conference released statements thanking Trump for weighing in, with the ACC’s Jim Phillips saying 鈥渢here continues to be significant momentum to preserve the athletic and academic opportunities for the next generation of student-athletes and we appreciate the ongoing efforts.鈥�
Attorney Mit Winter, who follows college sports law, said the order is likely to set up a situation where the NCAA and schools have to decide whether to follow a federal court order or an executive order.
鈥淓ither way, we鈥檙e likely going to see litigation challenging the EO by athletes and third parties,鈥� Winter said.
University of Nebraska president Jeffrey Gold said he didn’t want to try to predict what the courts would do.
鈥淏ut it is critical to what we must do to keep college athletics in line with what we do,” Gold said. 鈥淭he roundtable a few weeks ago showed there is a profound sense of urgency around this.鈥�
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AP Sports Writers Maura Carey, David Brandt and Eric Olson contributed to this report.
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