Jen Psaki Expresses Solidarity with NCAA Student-Athletes: ‘I’m a Retired One Myself’

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki revealed something you may not have known when she was asked about the Supreme Court decision on college athletics: she’s a “retired” student-athlete herself.

Wall Street Journal White House correspondent Sabrina Siddiqui asked Psaki about Monday’s unanimous landmark decision that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) can no longer restrict colleges from providing education-related benefits to athletes.

“In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on the NCAA and college athlete compensation, does the White House believe that there should be federal — federal rules or some kind of federal standard governing college athlete compensation? Or is that a decision that the administration believes should be left up to states?” Siddiqui asked.

Psaki did not have a reasponse to the policy question, but expressed the White House’s agreement with the ruling, as well as her own.

“Our view is that, of course, NCAA student-athletes work very hard, both on the athletic field and in the classroom,” Psaki said, adding “I’m a retired one myself.”

“And today’s decision recognizes that, as with all Americans, their hard work should not be exploited. And the President believes that everyone who works should be compensated fairly for his or her labor,” Psaki said.

Psaki was, indeed, an accomplished collegiate athlete in her first two years attending The College of William and Mary as a member of the swim team, an experience she described in an interview with the school’s paper in 2015:

“You know the swim team became an early family for me, and I think for many of us, when I first got to campus,” Psaki said. “I remember meeting people who I immediately had something in common with because we all had grown up through this sport and loved this sport. I still remember the first meeting we had where I met some of the other swimmers. Some of the swimmers who were freshmen with me are my closest friends still today. So even though I only swam freshman and sophomore year, I think that the greatest value I gained from it were the people I met through the experience.“

And according to the website SwimSwam, Psaki put up some impressive numbers during her collegiate stint:

Psaki’s best times (SCY) included 11:16.16 in the 1000 freestyle, 2:10.24 in the 200 backstroke, and 2:16.56 in the 200 individual medley. She was also 16th in the 200 back at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships as a sophomore, and had a victory in the same event at a dual meet against Georgetown in her freshman year.

Psaki isn’t the only recovering waterbug in the Biden administration. Michael LaRosa, Press Secretary for First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden, was also a standout swimmer at Seton Hall, where he set several records.

Nowadays, their duties find them doing laps around a different pool: the White House press pool. For Psaki, it’s a fitting post, as her podium is located directly above the now-retired indoor White House swimming pool.

Watch above via The White House.