As the issue of name, image, and likeness makes its way to a possible conclusion and regulation in the world of college athletes, the United States government is getting involved as the courts continue to sort out the issue.

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville and former Alabama coach Nick Saban met with President Donald Trump to discuss possible NIL reform measures before Trump was set to deliver the commencement address at the University of Alabama.

Before that meeting, Tuberville spent his time in a radio interview 100.9’s “The Game with Ryan Fowler on Wednesday playing the blame game, aimed explicitly at Democrats.

“I think we can get it on the floor, the problem is getting it past a Democrat group that really wants nothing to do with making this country better. They don’t care about college sports or education, they worry about the power that they control in this country. It’s a hard way to go, but if anybody can get it done, it’s President Trump, and hopefully we can have some discussion to get on the right track toward helping the NIL and college sports,” Tuberville said.

Tuberville also had an issue with the transfer portal, which has run rampant in the past few years, where athletes can essentially switch schools every year without penalty.

“Everybody would be on the same level. We’ve got to come up with some rules for the transfer portal, possibly a contract for players,” Tuberville said. “We do not want to turn into minor league sports. I talked to (Auburn men’s basketball coach) Bruce Pearl a few weeks ago, he says it’s a disaster, absolute disaster in basketball, and I’m sure it goes over into football and some of the other sports.”

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Five JU Dolphins, two UNF Ospreys seniors are close to completing their college careers

• Jacksonville University and University of North Florida baseball coaches commend senior athletes who remained committed to their programs.

Loyalty still trumps money for some college student-athletes. 

But for how long? 

Even in college baseball, where NIL opportunities are much more modest compared to football and basketball, it’s getting more difficult for mid-major conferences to keep their best players.

That’s been especially true at ASUN programs Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida, which have lost some of their biggest stars of the past several years to programs in the SEC, ACC and Big 12. 

“It’s turning into travel ball,” said Ospreys senior pitcher Clayton Boroski. “If they don’t like the coach they just up and leave and try to find a better opportunity.”

That’s why the JU and UNF coaches appreciate a handful of seniors who stayed at those respective schools for their entire college careers. 

“When they stay, they’re staying because they love this place and they know this is the right place for them,” said Dolphins coach Chris Hayes. “It’s not about the money for them, it’s about the right fit, the right environment, the right experience.” 

UNF coach Joe Mercadante said the transfer portal trend in college sports reflects a larger picture. 

“It’s just today’s society and where the game is right now,” he said. “Guys are constantly moving around, trying to find the opportunity that best fits them, instead of staying somewhere and learning through some adversity.” 

JU right fielder Blake DeLamielleure has been through as much of that adversity as anyone, playing on one conference championship team, on others with losing records and missing all but two games of the 2024 season with a hip injury. 

He had almost an entire season to consider going elsewhere. DeLamielleure also watched former high school and college teammate Justin Nadeau transfer to Florida and five JU pitchers go elsewhere, with Evan Chrest and Payton Prescott landing at Florida State — where his cousin Brody DeLamielleure plays. 

Blake DeLamielleure had every reason to transfer. 

He rejected them all and will go out wearing the same uniform he was issued as a freshman. 

“This is my home,” he said.  

JU, UNF celebrate loyal seniors 

Jacksonville has six seniors who have played for the Dolphins their entire college careers: DeLameilleure, pitchers Richard Long (a Clay graduate), Layton Perry and Blake Barquin, catcher/first baseman Josh Steidl and outfielder Clayton Hodges (Episcopal). 

North Florida has two, outfielder Drew Leinenbach and Boroski. 

In almost every case, their decision to stay is justified, from a personal and a team standpoint. 

Jacksonville (29-16, 15-6) is second in the ASUN’s Graphite Division behind Stetson and has the third-best conference mark and third-best overall record, behind Stetson and Gold Division leader Austin Peay. The Dolphins have already clinched a spot in the ASUN Tournament and are on an eight-game ASUN winning streak entering this weekend’s series at Queens. 

North Florida (22-22, 10-11) has already won more games than last season and is one more victory away from matching its total of conference victories in 2024. 

After a slow start, DeLamielleure is batting .278 with five homers and team-high totals of 45 RBI and 11 doubles. He’s also just as daring on the basepaths as he ever was, despite the season-ending injury last season when he was trying to go from first to third on a hit, and has stolen 20 bases in 22 attempts. 

Long is in the conversation for a second ASUN Pitcher of the Year award and is 7-3 with a 2.88 ERA, two complete games and an opponent batting average of .183. 

Steidl is hitting .306 with six homers and 30 RBI, Hodges, who has been injured and missed 12 games, is batting .131, Barquin is 3-3 on the mound and Perry is 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in nine appearances. 

Leinenbach is batting .268 for the Ospreys with three homers and 21 RBI and Boroski is 1-0 with a 3.98 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 15 games. 

“Those guys who stayed with us bleed green and gold,” Hayes said. “It’s easy for me to root for those guys. They’ve earned every opportunity they’re getting .” 

Mercadante had similar feelings about Leinenbach and Boroski. 

“Those two guys stayed here, bought into it and have worked extremely hard,” he said. “They’re giving us everything they’ve got.” 

Blake DeLamielleure, Richard Long part of a ‘brotherhood’ 

Blake DeLamielleure didn’t hold any pity parties when he missed almost all of the 2024 season, a year after he led the Dolphins in hitting (.302), doubles (15), stolen bases (14 of 16) and added six homers and 40 RBI. 

Instead, he completed his degree in finance, rehabbed and left no doubt he’d return. 

“Not at all, when DeLamielleure was asked if it was a difficult decision. “This school always wanted me, and this is the place I wanted to be since I was a freshman in high school. I love Chris and I love this program.” 

DeLamielleure said he’s not going to second-guess the decision his former teammates made in transferring but isn’t going to deny he wasn’t dismayed at their departure. 

“Ultimately, it’s up to them,” he said. “You’re disappointed but yeah, it’s definitely their decision.” 

Long said he had some inner turmoil about so many players on the pitching staff transferring. But he said his faith sustained him as he decided to return to JU. 

“I battled that for a while,” he said. “I’m a big faith-based guy and I viewed it as more than baseball. The brothers I had here, the community, the education I’ve gotten … I couldn’t put a price value on leaving here.” 

Long’s father Richard said some teams put out feelers for his son but in the end, the family viewed his senior season as a chance to finish a stellar career with the Dolphins. 

“It’s a brotherhood on this team with the guys who stayed,” Long said. “They’re very high on faith and believe if you work hard and you can accomplish anything.” 

A UNF family and small-town values 

Clayton Boroski didn’t have difficulty maintaining his allegiance to UNF. His older sister graduated from the university and leaving school might have been the same as leaving his family. 

Boroski, who is from St. Cloud, also said he made a commitment in high school to come to to UNF and never once considered not seeing that through

“I feel like if you made a decision out of high school to go to a program and play for four years, you should honor that,” he said.

Leinenbach is from Dunnellon and said the values he learned then kept him at UNF. 

“I’m from a small town and I was taught to finish what you start,” he said. 

Boroski and Leinenbach also faced a difficult situation after their sophomore seasons. Their coach, Tim Parenton, died of cancer. Other teammates such as Lodise (FSU), Aidan Sweatt (Liberty) and Austin Brinling (South Carolina) departed but both gave Mercadante a chance to sell his vision. 

“Really it took just one phone call,” Leinenbach said. “He told me we were going to win the ASUN. I could tell in his voice that he truly believed it. He said he was going to get the guys in here to win it, so I believed it.” 

Leinenbach admitted he almost entered the portal after Parenton died. But as with Boroski, he gave Mercadante a chance. 

“Once they got here, they made me believe in them,” he said. 

Clayton Boroski: ‘a dying breed’ 

Hardly anyone thinks the stream of mid-major players going to the SEC or ACC when they become stars will dwindle to a trickle anytime soon.

“We’re going to be a dying breed, for sure,” Boroski said of players who play all four years at the same mid-major school.

And what of the coaches? Hayes, Mercadante and other mid-major coaches didn’t sign up to develop talent for Florida or Florida State. There is chatter that future NIL agreements might require a major college to kick back a development fee of some kind to a player’s former school or, as Albany basketball coach Dwayne Killings has suggested, a model patterned after the NBA G League.

But for now it’s still the Wild, Wild West and mid-major coaches are spending time recruiting and developing players who may leave as soon as they show more skills. 

Neither Hayes nor Mercadante are showing outward signs of being frustrated. Hayes said he builds loyalty by recruiting players as young as freshmen in high school and will develop them to the best of his and his staff’s ability and using the same guidelines. 

“I hope guys continue to see and understand how special this environment is,” he said. “This is a relationship-based environment that believes in development, and every single guy that comes into this program gets better. And they get better because of the investment they have in them, physically, spiritually, emotionally. We’re going to earn [loyalty] and I’m not going to change how we’re going to do things.” 

Mercadante said he’s not going to start recruiting players on the assumption he’s only getting a year or two out of them. 

“I can’t get caught up too much thinking about the future,” he said. “We’re going to coach each team the best we can and make them understand why they came to UNF, that they’re cared about and we’re going to work for them every single day. You may need to have some tough conversations later [about players transferring] but I can’t coach thinking about that.” 

In the meantime, the players say they will enjoy every moment they have left. Each team has nine conference games remaining and the ASUN Tournament will be May 20-25 in DeLand. 

“It was worth staying,” Long said. “The brotherhood we have is inseparable and the relationships I’ve built at JU will last forever. That’s the most important thing to me.” 

“We have a ton of baseball left,” said Leinenbach. “Three weeks, and maybe more. I’m not worried about anything except winning.” 

How are JU, UNF transfers faring at new schools?

2025 statistics are for games played through May 1

• Alex Lodise (UNF): Leading Florida State in most offensive categories and starting at shortstop. Lodise, a Bartram Trail graduate, is hitting .440 with 14 homers and 53 RBI.
• Justin Nadeau (JU): Has played second base and outfield for the Florida Gators, hitting .293 with three homers and 18 RBI.
• Peyton Prescott (JU): 3-0 record and 6.31 ERA in 18 games for Florida State.
• Evan Chrest (JU): 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in eight games for Florida State.
• Isaac Williams (JU): 0-1 with an 8.00 ERA in 12 games for UCF.
• Aidan Sweatt (UNF): Hit .274 with five homers and 39 RBI in 61 games for Liberty in 2024.
• Austin Brinling (UNF): Hit .303 in 33 games for South Carolina in 2024.

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In each of the 16 host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, leaders are hopeful that the impact of the once-in-a-generation event will be felt long after the champion hoists the trophy at MetLife Stadium next July.

“We‘re working on some really big plans in terms of renovating multiple fields and parks around Houston, and once those fields are renovated and are playable, backfilling that with great programming that’s going to give kids access to the game on a level where they can basically play club soccer,” said Chris Canetti, president of the Houston host committee. “The World Cup provides an opportunity and a platform to do things that you’re not going to do in three years or eight years or 12 years, so we all need to capture this moment.”

Such ambitious projects aren’t cheap, however, and can only be prioritized after host cities raise enough money to put on what FIFA President Gianni Infantino has frequently referred to as “104 Super Bowls in one month.” For host city leaders laboring to raise funds by selling limited commercial assets and lobbying government entities for contributions, that means maintaining the flexibility to scale back their lofty plans if necessary.

“While we think big, we have to always be ready to pull back if needed,” Canetti said. “We‘re still in the mindset of being able to think big in all ways, shapes and forms, and how do we accomplish our big visions, but things could always change over time. We‘re still putting out RFPs and getting bids in and wondering about certain funding streams.”

“Their pipelines are very active right now, and it is approaching that pivotal moment. The one year out is going to be a catalyst for a lot of these partnerships to start to come to life.”

—  John Kristick, Playfly Sports co-head of consulting

Several host city leaders said the scale of their legacy programs and fan festivals during the World Cup is contingent on how much money they are able to raise and the government contributions they receive. While some cities such as Dallas, New York/New Jersey and Philadelphia are committed to operating their main fan festival for the duration of the 39-day tournament, others, like Seattle, have decided to keep them open only while games are in town or have yet to figure it out.

“Our concept in Seattle is to be open for the time that we‘re going to have games here, and we‘re thinking about for the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals,” said Peter Tomozawa, CEO of Seattle’s local organizing committee. “So that‘s still up in the air, but in terms of official fan festival in Seattle, it will be up to 24 days.”

Budgets vary among the 16 host cities — 11 of which are in the U.S. — based in part on the number of games being played in each market, but most are seeking to raise between $100 million and $150 million to cover the costs of hosting the matches, putting on FIFA-mandated fan festivals and creating impactful legacy programs. The most significant potential funding sources include FIFA’s Host City Supporter program, which allows for selling local sponsorships, as well as public support from various government entities and private donations.

In Houston, Canetti is optimistic. With about 400 days until the World Cup kicks off on June 11, the city has announced four Host City Supporters (the most for any city), and is about 70% of the way to meeting its roughly $100 million budget for the event. That latter figure is farther along than many of its peers, which have yet to finalize commercial agreements and don’t have the luxury of counting on the same level of state funding the Texas cities are receiving from the state’s Major Events Reimbursement Program.

The Supporter program, a new concept introduced by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup, allows each local organizing entity to sell up to 10 local sponsorships. The cities can only sell Supporter designations to companies that don’t compete with FIFA’s official sponsors (see chart), taking many of the most lucrative categories off the table.

“What we‘ve had to do is identify locally the industries that are not in those categories and be very strategic about how to target those industries,” said Alina Hudak, president and CEO of the Miami host committee.

While host cities have at times been frustrated by the limitations of the Supporter program and a lack of clarity from FIFA on what exactly they can offer brands, commercial activity is picking up. Thus far, only three cities have announced Supporter deals: Houston, with Arca Continental, Houston Methodist, NRG and Quanta; Los Angeles, with the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board; and Seattle, with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. Other cities have either closed deals that have yet to be announced or are close to finalizing agreements.

Dan Hilferty, chairman of the Philadelphia organizing committee, said the city has seven Supporters lined up and has secured $75 million toward its approximately $120 million budget between those deals, other private donations and government contributions. Houston has only publicly identified four supporters, but had more than 13 companies committed as either Supporters or donors as of last month.

Sales over the next few months will be critical in determining the cities’ final budgets.

“There’s been a tremendous amount of engagement across the communities,” said John Kristick, Playfly Sports co-head of consulting, who is advising several host cities. “Their pipelines are very active right now, and it is approaching that pivotal moment. The one year out is going to be a catalyst for a lot of these partnerships to start to come to life.”

Most cities are asking around $5 million for each of its Supporter designations, which grant those companies the ability to use city-specific marks and activate at the city’s fan festival alongside official FIFA sponsors. Organizers have sought to bolster their offerings by packaging the Supporter rights with other major upcoming events, such as the 2025 NBA All-Star Game and Super Bowl LX in the Bay Area, or the 2026 MLB All-Star Game and America250 celebration in Philadelphia, and World Cup-related community initiatives.

In addition to the category limitations, both Miami’s Hudak and Seattle’s Tomozawa said educating corporate leaders on the distinction between FIFA itself and the local organizing committees has been an added challenge.

“The messaging piece has been really important because there is confusion about what is the role [of the host city], especially in Miami, because we have [FIFA’s corporate office] down the street two blocks from us,” Hudak said.

Another key factor in American cities’ final budget calculations will be how much assistance the federal government, under President Donald Trump, is willing to provide for security and logistics. The host cities’ agreements with FIFA put the burden for those critical services on the cities. The 11 U.S. cities, in turn, are jointly seeking $625 million from the federal government, with the help of lobbying firm Hogan Lovells.

“We have a very large ask into the federal government, and seeing what the resource is going to be from the federal government will help us also understand where we stand locally,” Hudak said.

While the host city leaders have little influence over the White House and other federal agencies, there is a sense of cautious optimism. The Trump administration in March established the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 via executive order, suggesting the president is invested in the success of the tournament.

Sports Business Journal reported last month that the administration is expected to appoint former New York gubernatorial candidate Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as the executive director of that task force. During Trump’s first term, the younger Giuliani coordinated sports teams’ White House visits and worked with sports organizations on issues related to holding sporting events in “bubbles” during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s incredibly important for probably all of our host cities to get some level of support from a federal standpoint,” said Monica Paul, president of the Dallas host committee. “The World Cup has changed; our world has changed a bit, and the event we bid on in 2017 is a little bit different than the event we‘re hosting now. That comes with a heightened awareness from a safety-security standpoint.”

In the meantime, host city leaders are working to communicate their needs to their own representatives in the federal government.

“I’ve focused on what I have control of, and what I have control of is educating the elected officials that represent South Florida or Florida,” Hudak said. “I want to make sure that people understand what our need is and that our elected officials that are policymakers in D.C. understand that.”

FIFA World Cup Sponsors

Mike Molieri, a Menlo-Atherton High School teacher and varsity basketball coach, has taken legal action against the Sequoia Union High School District claiming retaliation and discrimination. Since being placed on administrative leave in August 2024, Molieri has been absent from the classroom and basketball courts while the district investigation continues.

The school district is now involved in at least five lawsuits alleging school administrators engaged in antisemetic practices, wrongful termination and discrimination. 

According to the claim, Molieri believes he was “unlawfully placed on administrative leave in violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act”  after bringing up his concerns about the district’s treatment of students. It also alleges that Molieri was discriminated against for his Latin heritage and his support for students of color.

Molieri worked at M-A as a special education teacher for 21 years and as the boys varsity basketball coach for 12 years. He’s led the basketball team to multiple championship games. 

When his absence was noticed at the start of the school year, students and parents confronted the Board of Trustees during school board meetings asking why he was on leave and when he would return. According to some students, Molieri was known for providing youth with a safe space on campus and acted as a mentor to many students. 

The last basketball season passed without the direction of Molieri who has yet to be interviewed as part of the district administration’s investigation into allegations made against him, according to the claim. Mike Molieri with Menlo-Atherton student Jalen William during the 2023 CCS championship for boys basketball. Courtesy Dan Molieri.The district alleges he violated policies including: failure to notify the district of students he believed needed changes to their special education plan; disclosure of confidential student information to non-district employees; making false statements about students to staff and administrators; and soliciting parents, students and staff to engage in professional services of his brother Dan Molieri, a private investigator for the Law Offices of John Burris. Burris is representing the case involving the arrested M-A student in 2023.

The claim states that Mike Molieri “denies all allegations and denies that any such actions violated any applicable administrative polices or procedures.” It adds that these allegations only arose after he reported his belief that the district was involved in legal violations.

Dan Molieri believes said violations were in relation to sensitive information about the arrest of the M-A student, who was one of Mike Molieri’s students. The student, referred to as K.C. in lawsuits, allegedly had his confidential student records released to the police by an undisclosed person at M-A. 

The claim states that Molieri heard of “an audio tape being shared with people that contained confidential information” regarding K.C. 

According to the suit, Molieri communicated to administrators about his concerns for the student, confidentiality issues and concerns that he was being targeted due to his relationship with his brother and his advocacy for disadvantaged students of color. 

“It was discussed that members of the administration were sharing confidential information that was portraying a minor student in a negative manner and doing so broke the rules of confidentiality as it relates to the Independent Education Program,” said the claim. 

Molieri had intended to file a complaint alleging the district had violated federal policies through this breach of privacy, it added. 

Leading up to his placement on leave, Molieri was involved in other incidents that date back to 2022 involving false accusations against his colleagues and difficulties with the district administrators 

“We strongly believe that this is a case of ongoing harassment, discrimination and most importantly retaliation,” said Molieri’s attorney Harry Stern. 

The claim is asking for more than $70,000 for damages including loss of income, emotional distress and damage to reputation. Molieri is currently seeking treatment for anxiety and stress as a result of being placed on leave, the complaint adds. 

The district was served papers on April 29 and will now have the opportunity to evaluate the claim and decide whether to reject or accept it. If rejected, attorneys will have six months to file a lawsuit against the district.

“My hope is the district will do the right thing and accept responsibility, but we are planning on moving forward with a lawsuit if that is not the case,” Stern said. 

The district did not immediately respond to this news organization about Mike Molieri’s investigation.