Why Donald Trump was once told he’d ‘never be allowed to buy an NFL franchise’

Donald Trump was bluntly told he would ‘never’ own an NFL team

As detailed via Yahoo Finance, Trump’s pursuit of an NFL franchise intensified after he bought the New Jersey Generals of the USFL in 1984.

At the time, he arranged a private meeting with then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, making it clear that his real goal was not the USFL, but entry into the NFL itself. That meeting, however, reportedly ended with a decisive message.

Rozelle told Trump that as long as he or his successors were involved with the league, he would never be allowed to own an NFL franchise.

The statement reflected more than just a disagreement. It highlighted the resistance Trump faced from the league’s leadership during that era.

USFL fallout and NFL tensions shaped Donald Trump’s failed ownership path

That tension only escalated in the years that followed, particularly as Trump became a central figure in the USFL’s aggressive push to compete directly with the NFL.

After purchasing the Generals for roughly $9 million, he helped lead a shift from a spring schedule to the fall, a move widely viewed as an attempt to force a merger with the NFL.

The strategy ultimately backfired. The USFL filed a $1.69 billion antitrust lawsuit against the NFL in 1986, arguing the league held a monopoly over professional football.

While the court technically ruled in favor of the USFL, the damages awarded were just $1, later tripled to $3 under antitrust law, a result that effectively ended the league.

That episode created lasting friction between Trump and NFL ownership circles, making future attempts to join the league significantly more difficult.

Over the years, he pursued multiple opportunities, including potential bids for the Baltimore Colts, New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills, but each effort fell short due to a mix of financial scrutiny, ownership resistance, and lingering distrust.

In hindsight, the combination of that early warning from Rozelle and the fallout from the USFL era explains why Trump’s decades-long pursuit of an NFL franchise never materialized.