Lawyer rips Nick Saban, NIL executive order rumors in midst of landmark NCAA settlement

A law firm involved in the historic $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences ripped former college football coach Nick Saban and the possibility of an executive order from the Trump administration to deal with name, image and likeness.

Attorneys at the Hagens Berman law firm released a statement on Monday calling Saban’s reported involvement in the potential executive order "unmerited and unhelpful." Steve Berman, the firm’s managing partner and co-founder, called Saban and Trump’s talks "unneeded."

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"While he was a coach, Saban initially opposed NIL payments to athletes, pushing to add restrictions and red-tape through national legislation to add ‘some sort of control,’" Berman said in a statement. “During his time scrutinizing the athlete pay structure, he made tens of millions of dollars and was previously the highest-paid coach in college football.

"Coach Saban and Trump’s eleventh-hour talks of executive orders and other meddling are just more unneeded self-involvement. College athletes are spearheading historic changes and benefitting massively from NIL deals. They don’t need this unmerited interference from a coach only seeking to protect the system that made him tens of millions."

The firm added there were a number of ways college athletes have benefitted from NIL without any executive orders from the White House in any administration. The firm said it empowered athletes to earn their own income, among other positives.

Fox News Digital reached out to Saban’s rep for comment.

Trump was considering an executive order to regulate name, image and likeness in college sports after meeting with the legendary Alabama Crimson Tide coach, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Saban reportedly doesn’t want to halt NIL payments but seeks to “reform” them.

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In an appearance on Fox News Channel last year, Saban urged Congress to step in and make NIL "equal across the board."

"And I think that should still exist for all players, but not just a pay-for-play system like we have now where whoever raises the most money in their collective can pay the most for the players, which is not a level playing field. I think in any competitive venue, you want to have some guidelines that gives everyone an equal opportunity to have a chance to be successful," he said.

Saban said the NCAA “can handle” NIL and whatever changes are necessary, but Congress “needs to” add “national legislation.”

"Now, we just have the state legislation – and every state is different – that would protect the NCAA from litigation once we establish guidelines for the future of college athletics. But the litigation is what got us to this point right now," Saban said. "We have to have some protection from litigation. I don't know if it's antitrust laws or whatever.

"I'm not versed enough on all that to really make a recommendation. But I know we need some kind of federal standard and guidelines that allows people to enforce their own rules."

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said “if anyone” can help regulate NIL, “it’s President Trump.”

Saban introduced Trump on Thursday at an event for Alabama's graduating students, where Trump gave a speech.

In the speech, Trump raved about Alabama’s athletic programs, saying the school is a place “where legends are made.”

Fox News' Ryan Morik and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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