Donald Trump isn’t afraid to make an enemy out of anyone, and that includes the NFL. 

Before Trump engaged in a spat with the NFL over players kneeling for the national anthem in 2017, he took on the league in a major legal battle during the 1980s as one of the faces of the USFL, a spring football league.

The relationship between Trump and football has long been a close one, even after some very public battles. After years of hosting his own Super Bowl party in Florida, Trump is making a bit of history by becoming the first sitting U.S. president to attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday.

Here’s a look back at Trump’s lawsuit against the NFL and how it contributed to the end of the USFL. 

MORE: Tracking all Super Bowl 59 commercials

Donald Trump vs. NFL lawsuit, explained

Trump purchased the USFL’s New Jersey Generals in 1983, just after the first season in franchise and league history.

The USFL was spring football league that quickly captured attention for its ability to attract some prominent players, and Trump, who was a well-known businessman, became one of the faces of the league when he bought the Generals from J. Walter Duncan.

While most recent spring football leagues have featured only fringe NFL players, Trump’s Generals at different points had a former MVP in Brian Sipe and former Heisman Trophy winners in Herschel Walker and Doug Flutie. 

The Generals went a combined 25-11 under Trump after a rocky 6-12 debut season under Duncan, but the winds of change blew after the 1985 season. Trump was among those who pushed for the USFL to start playing in the fall to potentially force a merger with the NFL. The USFL finalized the move and filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, accusing the league of creating a broadcasting monopoly on football. 

While Trump didn’t run the league, he was one of the leaders behind the lawsuit, which had a goal of either forcing a merger with the NFL or earning the USFL a significant and much-needed payout. Because Trump made multiple attempts to buy NFL teams, some believe he was looking for a merger so he could become an NFL owner. 

MORE: Where Patrick Mahomes, other Chiefs stars rank on list of most Super Bowl wins

The USFL won the lawsuit but gained next to nothing. The NFL only owed the USFL $3 because the jury ruled that the NFL wasn’t the cause of the USFL’s financial troubles, and the USFL could not continue on. The league folded shortly after the ruling.

For Trump, the lawsuit seemed to be an all-or-nothing gamble. He was critical of the idea that spring football could ever be sustainable when advocating for the USFL to start playing in the fall, but competing with the NFL and winning was virtually impossible.

The lawsuit set the stakes higher: either the USFL and NFL would merge, or the USFL would eventually fold. A payout might allow the USFL to continue operations temporarily, but Trump seemed resigned to the fact that competing head-to-head with the NFL wasn’t viable. Ultimately, Trump’s goal of owning an NFL team didn’t pan out. 

Did Donald Trump own the USFL?

Trump didn’t own or run the USFL at any point, but he became one of the defining voices of the league as the owner of the Generals. 

The USFL was founded by David Dixon, though Dixon left his role after the inaugural season due to overspending by the league’s owners.

MORE: How the Chiefs built Super Bowl 59 roster after back-to-back titles

Did Donald Trump own an NFL team?

Trump has never owned an NFL team, but he made multiple attempts to purchase franchises.

Trump reportedly was heavily involved in a group that attempted to buy the Baltimore Colts from George Irsay in 1981 after Irsay said he either wanted to sell the team or relocate it. The group included former Redskins coach George Allen, but it didn’t convince Irsay to sell. Instead, the Colts were relocated to Indianapolis in 1984 and remain in the Irsay family.

Trump’s best attempt at the purchase of NFL team came in 2014, when the Bills went up for sale after the death of Ralph Wilson. His $1 billion offer for the team fell short of Terry Pegula’s $1.4 billion bid, though both offers came in over the estimated value of the franchise.

“I would love to do it, and if I can do it I’m keeping it in Buffalo,” Trump said after the Bills became available. 

Pegula’s bid likely changed American history, something Trump admitted when he said during his 2016 campaign that he didn’t believe he would be running for president if he owned the Bills.