“Will kill his legacy”, “tryna save the game”: CFB fans divided as House settlement leader blasts Nick Saban & Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump and Nick Saban met in Tuscaloosa for a graduation ceremony on Thursday. Trump is considering an executive order that will give clearance to his administration to dig deeper into the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) payments made to college athletes.

However, House settlement leader Steve Berman criticized Trump and retired Alabama coach Nick Saban for what he called “unneeded self-involvement” in the evolving NIL space.

“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.”

These opposing views have fans divided as well.

Many fans weren’t shy about voicing their skepticism-or—outright frustration—with Saban’s involvement.

“Saban just mad that NIL leveled the playing field & pushed him out the door,” one fan commented.

“Nick Saban is the absolute last person anyone should listen to regarding paying college football players. He did it illegally for years and now that everyone can, he retired,” another added.

“Saban mad he can’t walk in a living room and promise mama a handshake and a dream no more…” one fan posted.

Some went further, accusing Saban of hypocrisy.

“Saban wants it to go back to paying to win under the table, so that teams that abide by the rules aren't a threat,” one fan wrote.

“Saban will kill his legacy trying to be right,” one fan added.

However, not everyone was critical of the legendary coach. Some fans suggested that Berman and others may be underestimating how deeply respected Saban still is in the college football community.

“Steve Berman bout to find out the college world agrees with Saban and respects tf outta Nick Saban,” one fan said.

“To be clear, Steve Berman is a lawyer representing the athletes. It's in his best interest for the POTUS & Congress to stay out of this, but it isn't necessarily in the best interest of college sports,” another commented.

"Saban’s tryna save the game and people have the audacity to go at him," one fan wrote.

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Steve Barman calls out Nick Saban for opposing NIL

The NIL era has already transformed college football. Athletes are now picking colleges based on where they could earn more instead of going to a college based on its value. This has left several hurt, including former coach Nick Saban, according to Steve Barman.

“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 via On3. “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.”

The above drama comes after a week following the closure of the House Settlement vs NCAA lawsuit. As per the proposed $2.8 billion settlement, college teams could allocate up to $22 million annually to athletes, representing about 22% of average Power Five conference revenues.

The settlement will require colleges to distribute $2.8 billion to athletes who competed from 2016 to 2024, compensating for previous NIL restrictions.

May 7th is the next date when Judge Claudia Wilken will hear more about the revised proposals from both parties.