May 17—President Donald Trump can be seen at college football games, UFC events, and even NASCAR races. Trump enjoys appearing at sporting events, and recently has entered himself into the college athletics space, attempting to create order in a wild west that is college sports.

It was inevitable that the NIL system currently in place was going to cause issues. This spring marked the first player to sit out of practice over money disputes. The players currently have all the power and there are no guardrails on how much schools can pay players, making it unfair in some sense.

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NIL hasn’t been used like it’s intended so far. Originally, NIL was put in place so players could make money off autographs and jerseys with their name on them. But now, it’s used by boosters to pay players to play for their alma mater.

Trump is stepping in. Trump is reportedly creating a College Sports Commission, which will reportedly be led by former West Virginian and college football legend Nick Saban and Texas businessman Cody Campbell. The commission will regulate the transfer portal, boosters and college athlete employment.

This would be the first leader of college sports and potentially create a system that has structure.

Saban might not be the only West Virginian on the commission. In a recent interview with Sirius XM, Rich Rodriguez showed interest in helping his friend, Saban.

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“I’m going to give him my cell number if they want an active coach on the deal, ” Rodriguez said. “I’ll be on that sucker. I’ve got some experience. I can help from a current standpoint. I don’t know if they need me, though.

Like Saban, Rodriguez has been coaching for a long time, not as long as Saban and a lot fewer championships, but he’s seen the change and evolution of the sport.

All spring, Rodriguez voiced his problems with the NCAA. Rodriguez didn’t like the roster limit to 105, how there’s a spring portal, where a player you coached all spring can just leave, and how there are no limitations to how much a player can be paid.

Rodriguez has the background to be a candidate for the commission.

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So far, it sounds like Saban will lead. Rodriguez agrees it should be the greatest college football coach of all time as the leader.

“He is the greatest college football coach of all time, ” Rodriguez said. “He has a great grasp of the game in general … He’s truly about college football.”

Almost all professional sports leagues have a commissioner who settles issues throughout the league. College football doesn’t because it’s governed by the NCAA. After NIL was passed, the NCAA lost all its power, leaving it to the schools and players, creating chaos.

There’s no movement to create guardrails, and it’s starting to get out of hand. So much, that Trump felt the need to step in.

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College sports, and more specifically college football, is a billion-dollar entertainment business. There needs to be structure before it falls apart even further. Saban’s the favorite to lead the next generation of college athletics, and West Virginia’s very own, Rodriguez, could be helping out, too.

“College football is such a great entity, it’s hard to screw it up, ” Rodriguez said. “You can do whatever you want. There’s still going to be that passion for your school and that level of athletes. We’ve done enough things to screw it up in the last couple of years.”

In a dramatic twist to the ongoing College Athlete NIL Litigation, Duke University tennis player Samuel Landau, an NCAA Division I Athlete, has filed a limited objection to the proposed House settlement, accusing the school of luring him with false promises of NIL payments and retaliating when he spoke out.

$45K NIL Deal, Potential False Rumors, and Anti-Semitic Accusations Surface in Filing

The objection, which was filed on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Oakland division, claims that Duke Men’s Tennis Head Coach Ramsey Smith promised Landau $45,000 in NIL compensation in addition to his scholarship to secure his transfer to Duke in late 2023.

According to the objection, Coach Smith assured Landau and his family multiple times, including in an April 2024 text message to Landau’s mother, that the player would be “well taken care of.” However, once Landau joined the program, he alleges that the NIL money never came through.

The objection, filed by Landau’s attorney, Rodger Landau, paints a troubling picture of alleged misconduct within Duke’s athletic department. It accuses the university of retaliating after Landau raised concerns about the NIL payments. According to the filing,

Coach Smith allegedly spread false rumors that Landau had a drug problem, citing a false statement from University of Texas coach Bruce Berque, which has since been denied in writing by the Texas program.

The filing alleges that Duke officials wrongly suspected Landau, who is Jewish, of running a social media account that was critical of his own team members, invoking what the family describes as an anti-Semitic trope. Landau argues that the current language in the proposed settlement is too broad and could allow Power 5 schools to escape liability for NIL misconduct, including false inducements and broken promises.

He is urging the court to revise the settlement to include expanded audit rights and establish an arbitration process for student-athletes to seek compensation for unpaid NIL deals. He proposes allowing arbitrators to impose penalties of up to $5 million per athlete for proven fraud or retaliation.

If such revisions aren’t made, Landau is calling for Duke University to be excluded from the House Settlement altogether. He argues that Duke, with its $12 billion endowment, has demonstrated an unwillingness to honor NIL commitments and has weaponized its institutional power to suppress dissent.

The NIL era has meant that college athletes can now earn money from their name, image, and likeness through endorsements and sponsorships. Earlier, college athletes were not paid and did not gain monetary benefits from the revenue generated by prestigious college sports programs.

Hamilton College pitcher/utility player Emma Tansky ’25 (Collegeville, Pa./Episcopal Academy) and outfielder Alexis Mayer ’26 (Woodcliff Lake, N.J./Pascack Hills HS) were selected for the 2025 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-Region Team on Friday, May 16.

Tansky was one of 14 athletes that made the second team in Region 1 after she was on the all-region third team each of the previous three years. Mayer, who received her first all-region team honor, was one of 13 players on the third team.

The all-region teams honor student-athletes from the association’s 10 regions with selection to one of three teams. NFCA member head coaches nominate and then vote for the athletes in their respective region.

Tansky (7-4) posted a 3.51 earned run average over 83.2 innings. She pitched in 19 contests and had four complete games in 10 starts, including an eight-inning shutout against Wesleyan University on April 20. Tansky had one save and struck out 69 batters. She led the team with a .444 batting average (28-for-63) and played in 29 of 32 games. Tansky scored 22 runs, stole a program-record 21 bases in 22 attempts and owned a .493 on-base percentage. She owns Hamilton’s career stolen base record with 64, ended up second in program history with 139 career hits and 90 career runs, and boasted a career batting average of .408.

Mayer, who was on the NFCA Division III Pitcher and Player of the Year Watchlist in early April, hit .347 (33-for-95) and started all 32 games. She hammered six doubles, tied a program record with seven triples, smacked five home runs, and had a .716 slugging percentage. Mayer set a program record with 38 runs batted in, scored 28 runs, stole eight bases, drew 17 walks and had a .443 on-base percentage. She ended up with a .953 fielding percentage on 43 chances with three outfield assists.

Hamilton started the season with eight straight wins and finished with an overall record of 15-17. The Continentals swept Bates College in a New England Small College Athletic Conference doubleheader and added conference wins against Colby College, Trinity College, Wesleyan University and Amherst College.

 

The Texas Longhorns are without Quinn Ewers after he left for the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Miami Dolphins drafted Ewers in the seventh round of the draft. In a recent interview with On3’s Nick Schultz, Ewers used the word unconventional to describe his NIL experience in college football.

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NIL became legal in college football in July of 2021.

Ewers started his college career with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2021. He was the top recruit and quarterback in the 2021 class. He played in one game for Ohio State in the 2021 season and then hit the transfer portal.

He was the No. 2 quarterback in the On3 Transfer Portal Industry Rankings, committed to Texas, and the rest is history.

“The way that it’s kind of been set up for me has been nothing short of unconventional, I think I would say,” Ewers said. “Skipping my senior year to enroll at Ohio State early, and then be there for not even a whole calendar year, and then decide to go back to my home state of Texas, and really, turn around a program that hadn’t really won anything in years, consistently.”

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When Ewers left Texas, his NIL valuation was $4.5 million.

He threw for 9,218 passing yards, 68 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

Not everyone agreed with Ewers’ decision to leave for the NFL. If Ewers had stayed at Texas for another year, he reportedly would have made $8 million in NIL money, per 247Sports’ Chip Brown.

Some criticized the move, but not Josh Pate. Pate credited Ewers for focusing on legacy more than NIL.

Now that Ewers is gone, Texas’ starting quarterback for 2025 is expected to be Arch Manning. The Longhorns have already looked in the portal for Manning’s backup, bringing in former Troy quarterback Matthew Caldwell.

Texas opens the 2025 season against Ohio State on Aug. 30.

Related: Texas Named Finalist for No. 1 Recruit in New Jersey

The Colorado Avalanche’s biggest roster question for next season is who will be the next center on the depth chart after Nathan MacKinnon.

It’s a familiar quandary. The Avs have tried a lot of different players in that spot since Nazem Kadri left for Calgary after winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. They paid a metric ton in assets for the most recent addition, Brock Nelson, but the end of his season was a mixed bag, and he’s a pending unrestricted free agent.

What the Avs paid for Nelson would matter a lot less if the club were still playing. But after an early exit, giving up the top prospect who could have been the long-term answer at No. 2 center (Calum Ritchie) and a future first-round pick, for potentially just 19 regular-season games and seven playoff games of Nelson, would sting.

So, who are the best options to be Colorado’s No. 2 center next season? Let’s dig in.

Internal options

Brock Nelson

Vitals: 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, turns 34 on Oct. 152024-25 stats: 26 goals, 56 points in 80 games

It was a weird year for Nelson. He scored one power-play goal in 146 minutes for the Islanders, but three times shorthanded in 76 minutes. He had a few games in the Dallas series when he didn’t play well, and then a few when he was noticeably better … but the production didn’t really follow.

Nelson just had the three best years of his career in his age-30, 31 and 32 seasons. But his age-33 year was more in line with 27-29. So the first question: Do the Avs want to bet on age-34 and beyond?

The second question: How long a contract will he be looking for? And the third question, which might really be the first: Does Nelson want to stick around?

“It’s easy to say this when you’re not making the actual decision — I don’t want to give Brock Nelson five years,” ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro said. “I don’t. Then you start looking around and you go … if you don’t, then what are you going to do?

“Given what we’ve seen from Colorado’s management is that they’re not going to blow their brains out in the summer for somebody they don’t prefer, and they’re going to start with as much around whatever the hole might be, and try and fill it as they go forward. To me, that’s the most prudent way to go.”

Nelson, on the right contract, is the Avs’ best option. He’s tight with Devon Toews. MacKinnon is a fan. A second line with Nelson flanked by Gabe Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin is big and skilled and could be one of the best in the league.

But the top of the center market is thin, and the cap ceiling is going way up. Minnesota is the most obvious Nelson suitor if he makes it to July 1, but there could be others.

Nelson is probably getting at least $7 million per season. Much more than that, and the Avs would need to trade a player off the roster just to fill the other holes. If he wants 4-5 years, that could be hard for Colorado to do as well.

Maybe the desire to win a second title in the next 2-3 years is so great that it’s worth doing a longer deal with Nelson and just worrying about what happens when he’s really in decline later.

What the Avs could or should offer Nelson gets more complicated when we fan out and look for other options.

Charlie Coyle

Vitals: 6-3, 215, 33 years old2024-25 stats: 17 goals, 35 points in 83 games

If the Avs don’t sign Nelson or add another center, Coyle becomes the leading candidate to slot in at 2C, at least while Colorado shops for another one between opening night and the trade deadline. Coyle was an instant hit with his coach and teammates, had a productive spurt near the end of the regular season, and then went quiet against Dallas.

“In my role, we do a lot of Boston games,” Ferraro said. “I’ve watched Charlie for years, and Charlie’s a terrific third center. He’s not a No. 2 center. You’re asking him to do something that doesn’t jive with the tools that he has to me in that spot.”

Martin Necas

Vitals: 6-3, 195, 26 years old2024-25 stats: 27 goals, 83 points in 79 games

Necas has played some center in his career, but is better on the wing. Just like Mikko Rantanen was at times, he could be a temporary solution while the Avs scavenge for a more permanent one.

Gabe Landeskog

Vitals: 6-1, 215, turns 33 in November2024-25 stats: One goal, four points in five playoff games

It’s really hard to see the Avs committing to even two-thirds of a season with Landeskog at center. Just doesn’t make a lot of sense given the obvious health concerns.

External UFA options

Sam Bennett, Panthers

Vitals: 6-1, 190, turns 29 in June2024-25 stats: 25 goals, 51 points in 76 games

Bennett produces like a solid enough No. 2 center, but he’s going to be paid like a top-tier option. That means the Avs won’t likely get anywhere near his asking price in a bidding war. He’s one of the top two guys in the league in the “mean, but also good at hockey” category, along with Washington’s Tom Wilson.

“There’s going to be 22 teams vying for Sam Bennett,” Ferraro said.

John Tavares, Maple Leafs

Vitals: 6-1, 211, turns 35 in September2024-25 stats: 28 goals, 53 points in 73 games

For the third or fourth offseason in a row, change is expected to come in Toronto. Would the kid with the Maple Leafs bedsheets actually leave home, and what will the market look like? I’d rather bet on Nelson, but the price might be better for Tavares — if he reaches the market.

Matt Duchene, Stars

Vitals: 5-11, 212, 34 years old2024-25 stats: 30 goals, 82 points in 82 games

Could that bridge be repaired if the Stars can’t sign him and Duchene reaches the UFA market? Nelson was better in that series, and Duchene hasn’t entirely beaten the allegations of having trouble producing in the playoffs.

Mikael Granlund, Stars

Vitals: 5-10, 185, 33 years old2024-25 stats: 22 goals, 66 points in 83 games

Not sure he’s an ideal No. 2 center on a contending team (he’s on the wing in Dallas), but maybe putting him between Landeskog and Nichushkin would work? He’s not going to be cheap, either.

External trade options

This could be a pretty fluid group. There could be guys available next month, more after the season starts and then a bigger group ahead of the deadline.

If your question is, “What would the Avs trade for this guy?” … that’s a good question. It’s going to be hard for Colorado to beat other teams’ offers.

Nazem Kadri, Flames

Vitals: 6-0, 185, turns 35 in October2024-25 stats: 35 goals, 67 points in 82 games

Avs couldn’t do seven years, $49 million three years ago. What about four years, $28 million now? One slight problem: Calgary doesn’t seem like it wants to rebuild, so trading the No. 1 center seems like a long shot.

Ryan O’Reilly, Predators

Vitals: 6-1, 207, turns 35 in February2024-25 stats: 21 goals, 53 points in 79 games

Oh look, another ex-Avs center. It was a weird year in Nashville, and O’Reilly is on a team-friendly contract. The Predators could have moved him before the deadline, but didn’t seem very interested in doing so.

Marco Rossi, Wild

Vitals: 5-9, 182, turns 24 in September2024-25 stats: 24 goals, 60 points in 82 games

There’s been speculation that Rossi and the Wild might not see a long-term partnership together. If Minnesota did make him available this summer, there would likely be many suitors.

Trevor Zegras, Ducks

Vitals: 6-0, 185, 24 years old2024-25 stats: 12 goals, 32 points in 57 games

Zegras had a strong finish to the season, but now he has a new coach. He also hasn’t been playing a lot of center lately. He’d be a very high-risk option, and the Ducks aren’t likely to feel like they need to sell low, either.

And, because this is a story about the Avalanche and potential options at center …

Sidney Crosby, Penguins

Vitals: 5-11, 200, turns 38 in August2024-25 stats: 33 goals, 91 points in 80 games

It’s not going to happen, and certainly not this offseason. Even if MacKinnon tries to lay the groundwork in Stockholm for something in the future, it’s still extremely unlikely Crosby asks out of Pittsburgh.

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By The Associated Press

HERNING, Denmark — HERNING, Denmark (AP) — After a goalless opening period, the United States went on to secure its place in the quarterfinals of the ice hockey world championship with a 6-1 rout of Kazakhstan on Sunday.

The Americans are tied atop Group B with the Czech Republic on 14 points, one more than Switzerland. The already qualified Czechs and Swiss have two more games to play in the preliminary round. The U.S. completes the group stage against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

“I thought we were ready to play out of the gate,” U.S. head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We need to continue to build and get ready for what will be a big challenge on Tuesday against the Czechs.”

Despite an unproductive first period in Herning, the U.S. jumped to a commanding five-goal lead in the second.

Frank Nazar broke the deadlock 6:58 into the period with a shot from the left circle above the glove of Sergei Kudryavtsev. The forward added two assists later in the game.

Defenseman Jackson Lacombe wristed a shot from the blue line through heavy traffic to double the lead with 8:14 to go in the second period.

The next two goals came in the span of 58 seconds.

Forward Tage Thompson scored his fifth at the tournament — after receiving a pass from defenseman Zeev Buium — to make it 3-0 with 6:00 left. Matty Beniers increased the advantage to four from the left circle before Michael Kesselring scored with a high shot from a tight angle from the boards 56 seconds before the end of the period.

U.S. defensive star Zach Werenski skated toward the goal before beating backup goalie Maxim Pavlenko who came on at the beginning of the final period.

Goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 16 saves for the U.S.

In Stockholm, Austria beat Slovenia 3-2 in a shootout to keep alive its hopes of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time. Austria is tied in fourth with Slovakia in Group A.

The top four teams from each group will advance.

Later Sunday, Switzerland meets Hungary in Herning and Slovakia plays Latvia in Stockholm.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports