Dealing with Iran war is ‘easy,’ Trump says. College athlete pay? Not so much

WASHINGTON —In contrast to measures to better regulate college athletics and limit the exorbitant wages of football players, President Donald Trump stated Friday that concerns regarding the war in Iran were "easy." This was an unusual assertion that even he seemed to reconsider shortly after making it.

Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua were among the experts Trump assembled for a roundtable. He then argued with others for more than an hour that college athletics has been destroyed by large salaries for elite players and other more recent modifications to NCAA sports, such as the transfer site.

Presidents are frequently asked to address several issues at once, many of which are extremely complicated. However, considering that Israel and the United States conducted strikes on Iran a week ago, the timing of this protracted conversation was particularly noteworthy. "That's an easy problem compared to what we're doing here," the president said as a reporter began to inquire about Iran at the conclusion of the event.

Trump groaned, "Ugh," in response to a second inquiry over his decision to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday. He then added, "Is it possible to stay on this subject, just for once?"

When questioned later about why he was concentrating on this subject given everything else going on in the world, the president seemed to become a little more introspective.

"I witnessed the events surrounding collegiate athletics. Furthermore, it doesn't seem all that significant in light of the events in Iran and elsewhere," he remarked. However, it holds great significance for me. And I will complete it if I am able to.

Finally, Trump made a brief statement against Iran, stating that he would give American military measures "a 12 to 15" on a scale of 1 to 10.

Football in particular is a very popular college sport, and its governance is undoubtedly a major and ongoing problem. For months, Trump has also lamented that the NCAA's name, image, and likeness era has made things worse by allowing athletes to earn ever-higher salaries.

According to him, women's athletics and other lesser sports are being squeezed out by high-profile sports like football. He even claims that some universities have started paying athletes so much that it is pushing them toward bankruptcy.

The roundtable followed Trump's hours-long private meetings with key officials, during which he probably discussed Iran and other important topics. The president declared that he had met with defense firms who had committed to producing more weapons.

Nevertheless, it was unexpected that Trump, accompanied by White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, could find so much time to discuss collegiate athletics.

As Saban joked, "I'm just a football coach," the president listened.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and others alternated between sharing their passion for college football and their concerns about its future. Both former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and New York Yankees president Randy Levine shared their opinions. There were no active collegiate athletes present.

Trump told the crowd, which included former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a former member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, that he would be available for as long as they needed him.

Essentially, Trump pleaded with Congressmen to enact the SCORE Act or similar measures. Opponents have attacked the law as a handout to the NCAA and its most powerful colleges, despite the fact that it aims to impose new regulations on college athletics.

Trump stated he will prepare his own executive order on college athletics after being informed that the proposal was unlikely to pass Congress.

"Colleges will be destroyed if this doesn't work," he declared.

It was unclear how that would be different from the one Trump signed in July, which required federal officials to provide clarification on whether college players can be regarded as employees of the colleges. Rather, Trump wished more for the times before his name, image, and likeness.

"Is it possible for us to return to the previous system, which I found to be excellent?" At one point, Trump questioned, arguing that collegiate players should be paid "some compensation, more minimal, but a lot," while simultaneously supporting a return to a basic scholarship arrangement.