The Department of the Interior compares Roosevelt saving football to Trump’s sports orders
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Legendary coach Nick Saban discusses informing President Donald Trump of a new plan aimed at strengthening the NCAA, warning that without new transfer and eligibility rules, college athletes face ‘chaos’ and financial ruin.
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The US Department of the Interior has addressed a recent report that Secretary Doug Burgum is pushing for former President Teddy Roosevelt to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, the department compared Roosevelt’s impact on saving American football to President Donald Trump’s recent action to reform college sports.
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, the department compared Roosevelt’s impact on American football and President Donald Trump’s recent action to reform college sports.
The New York Post reported Saturday that Burgum made comments about Roosevelt’s candidacy for the Hall of Fame at a Bank of America reception on Thursday.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a press conference after Super Bowl LX at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2026. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire)
“Roger Goodell was in the White House in the Oval Office, and I had the opportunity to be with him there, because we, the National Park Service, manage the National Mall,” said Burgum. “The NFL draft will be held on the Mall a year from now (and) the Capitol will be in the background.
“Keep it a secret. Keep your fingers crossed, but I think we’re going to see Theodore Roosevelt inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame….it’s going to be announced in the mall when Roger Goodell runs the draft.”
Teddy Roosevelt is honored by him saving ball in 1905-1906 by forcing college officials to change the rules of the game after several injury-related deaths of players.
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President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order as he presents the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East Room of the White House in Washington, District of Columbia, March 20, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
The changes led to the creation of a forward pass and the prevention of dangerous formations.
Meanwhile, Trump has passed several executive orders aimed at curbing the NIL, while protecting non-fee sports and women’s sports amid growing financial pressure for universities to invest in money-making programs like football and basketball.
Trump signed an executive order on April 3 titled “National Emergency Action to Save College Sports,” aimed at curbing the influence of NIL groups and extending freedom of expression. The order proposes strict five-year eligibility limits, transfer caps, and threatens to strip federal funding from institutions that don’t follow NCAA rules to establish a uniform national structure.
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President Donald Trump arrives at a college sports panel discussion in the East Room of the White House, Friday, March 6, 2026, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Trump also took executive action to mandate that profit-sharing models used by universities must maintain or expand scholarships and opportunities for women’s and Olympic sports, barring them from being cut to pay football or basketball players.
In February of last year, Trump signed an executive order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” that redefined Title IX to mean that “sex” is based on reproductive science and genetics at birth. This expressly prohibited transgender women from competing in women’s college sports.
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