President Donald Trump expands upon his continued interest in college football with a new move announced today that puts him in the room with some of the most influential names in college football for a round table discussion.
“President Donald Trump is hosting a roundtable on issues facing college sports, RossDellenger reports,” an On3 X post reads. “Invitees include Nick Saban, Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, Cody Campbell and more.”
Invitees include Nick Saban, Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, Cody Campbell and more.
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The move comes just days after Trump joined college football analyst Josh Pate on his podcast to discuss the current state of the game/entity.
When Is The Round Table And What Will Be Discussed?
The round table is set to take place in the first week of March. Although few details have been announced, NIL is expected to be a topic of concern after Trump’s repeated efforts to highlight college football’s biggest debate.
“Trump has been vocal about his willingness to play a role in settling the college athletics landscape in the NIL and transfer portal era,” On3’s Nick Schultz writes. “Saban and Campbell were previously expected to spearhead a presidential commission on college sports, though those plans were later paused. The roundtable is expected to take place March 6.”
The meeting will be held at the White House, and it is said that all power conference commissioners will be present.
“The Big Ten’s Tony Petitti, the SEC’s Greg Sankey, the Big 12’s Brett Yormark and the ACC’s Jim Phillips – are all set to receive invitations,” Schultz continued. “The list of invitees also includes former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua and Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman.”
The high-profile guest list doesn’t stop there, with a handful of other celebrities receiving an invitation, for one reason or another.
“Golf legend Tiger Woods, two-time U.S. Open champion golfer Bryson DeChambeau, NBA commissionerAdam Silver and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also received invitations to the roundtable,” Schultz wrote. “Trump is expected to serve as chair alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and New York Yankees president Randy Levine as vice chairs.”
Trump Is Against NIL
While President Trump believes that college athletes should be paid, he has stated time and time again that he holds reservations about the blank checks the athletes receive.
He believes paying players multi-million dollar contracts will make the colleges canibalize eachother.
The president believes that NIL is trending in a direction that is not only bad for the sport but also bad for the colleges themselves.
He has said he is willing to use the power of the federal government to curb the trend.
Nick Saban To Sit Down With President Trump, College Football Discussion