Charles Barkley rips new NCAA leader’s plan to talk to lawmakers on NIL: ‘Our politicians are awful people’

Charles Barkley on Thursday night took issue with new NCAA president Charlie Baker’s plan to tackle concerns about name, image and likeness (NIL) deals in collegiate athletics.

Baker talked to CBS broadcasters Greg Gumbel and Clark Kellogg and said one of the issues he would tackle is “consumer protections” for student-athletes and families around NIL. He said he would “love to create transparency and accountability” around NIL to educate those looking to make deals.

Baker said he plans on talking to lawmakers in Washington about NIL and allowing politicians to potentially get involved. Working with politicians was what Barkley specifically took issue with.

“Did he say we’re gonna ask the politicians to help us? See, that p—es me off already. Our politicians are awful people. As I talked to Clark earlier because I asked him about y’all’s conversation, I would actually to people who actually care about basketball.

“I would put a committee together. I would love for Clark to be on the committee. Get some coaches, get some players and let’s try to work this thing out. We can’t ask these politicians nothing. Those people are awful people. Democrats and Republicans – they’re all crooks.”

Earlier Thursday, University of Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick told Sports Illustrated that without stronger rules and regulations around NIL, and if student-athletes are deemed employees, the NCAA could splinter. 

NOTRE DAME AD SAYS NCAA COULD SPLINTER WITHOUT STRONGER NIL RULES: ‘WE’VE GOT TO GET OUR ACT TOGETHER’

Swarbrick said NIL spending is creating division among schools.

“If we can’t start to get ourselves to where we can make rational decisions like those and enforce them, the future will be more than one athletic association. I can tell you that,” Swarbrick told SI.

“We’ve got to get our act together as college athletics and do the things we can do. We keep sort of implying we can’t address name, image and likeness. Of course, we can,” he continued. “We can do it in ways requiring reporting on transactions, requiring that there be transactions. We have to take that on as opposed to looking to others to fix it for us.”

Furthermore, Swarbrick and Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins co-authored a New York Times op-ed calling for rules and regulations around NIL.

Fox News’ Joe Morgan contributed to this report.