David Pollack on Donald Trump, Nick Saban talks: ‘The guy he’s meeting with is the guy that can fix it’

On Thursday, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban reportedly met with President Donald Trump to discuss the issue of NIL in college athletics. Just one day later, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is considering an executive order that could increase scrutiny on NIL payments to college athletes.

Trump was in Tuscaloosa to deliver the University of Alabama’s commencement address. Saban introduced Trump at the event. On Monday, college football analyst David Pollack weighed in on Saban’s influence on Trump and the NIL situation.

“The guy that can fix it is Nick Saban. The guy [Trump] is meeting with is the guy that can fix it,” Pollack said. “That’s who I want to fix it. Listen, everybody knows NIL is broken. Like there’s not a coach in America that doesn’t know NIL is broken. It’s absolutely broken. The system needs more accountability for players, for coaches.

“To have accountability, to have more rules, more guard rails, to protect the sport, to protect the stuff that’s gone. We could go through the offseason with the Nico [Iamaleava] and his brother and that. We could go down a litany of stuff to prove that and why you should fix it. Nick Saban lived it. Like, he was in it. He retired because of it. He left because of it. The kids walking into his office and being like, ‘I want a raise or I’m leaving.’

“He understands that inside and out. He would be such a great person to fix it. I don’t, I don’t know how Trump stays involved in this but here’s the thing I love — that he’s talking about it. Because the more we talk about it, the better.”

While Pollack believes Saban’s involvement in NIL reform will help the collegiate landscape, others aren’t convinced. After the Wall Street Journal report emerged on Friday, attorney Steve Berman, who is representing current and former college athletes in the proposed $2.8. billion House vs. NCAA settlement, criticized Saban for his actions.

“Coach Saban and Trump’s eleventh-hour talks of executive orders and other meddling are just more unneeded self-involvement,” Berman said. “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.”

Berman and others have until Wednesday to address concerns that prevented U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken from granting approval to the deal last month. Berman recently said they are on track to meet the deadline.