"I don't want to get involved in controversy": Donald Trump wants to preserve sanctity of college football, highlights 'terrible mistake' of NFL
US presidential candidate Donald Trump was in attendance at Bryant-Denny Stadium for Alabama's 41-34 win over Georgia in Week 5 on Saturday.
The Republican nominee, who was watching the game unfold from his special box at the stadium, shared his thoughts on the future of college football and also pointed out the NFL's 'terrible mistake' with the new kickoff rule.
"Big time college football is as big as the NFL," Trump said in an interview with Clay Travis. "I don't know what they're doing with the kickoff return in the NFL. And I don't want to get involved in controversy, of course, but it looks so bad. (Timestamp: 6:20)
"And I noticed that they hadn't' done that in college, and they shouldn't do it," he said. "And I think the NFL should go back. And maybe it is a little bit more dangerous, but I doubt that it's any more dangerous. It's football. I think they made a terrible mistake in doing that," Trump said.
The NFL changed its kickoff rules ahead of the 2024 season. The process was implemented to promote more returns and reduce injury risks, but some fans, including Trump, believe that the rule is a mistake.
In college football, though, the kick-off rules have remained the same.
How many Alabama football games has Donald Trump attended?
As per reports, Donald Trump has attended three Alabama games. He first saw the Tide play in the 2018 national championship, when Nick Saban's team beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime. At the time, Trump was the US President.
In November 2019, Trump was at Bryant-Denny Stadium to watch Alabama face LSU. The Tide lost 46-41 to the Tigers, who were then led by quarterback Joe Burrow.
Nonetheless, Alabama got its first win with Trump in attendance at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. The Tide took a 30-7 advantage at halftime before fending off a late surge by Georgia to win 41-34. It was also the first time Trump attended a Tide game when was not in office.