Trump college sports roundtable update: Who attended, who's skipped? POTUS drops NIL bombshell

President Donald Trump hosted a college football roundtable on Friday with dozens of administration members and sports figures.

Updated on: Mar 07, 2026 5:40 AM IST

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President Donald Trump hosted a college football roundtable on Friday with dozens of administration members and sports figures. At the session, the 79-year-old brought up several issues in college athletics, focusing on NIL deals. Attendees included NCAA president Charlie Baker, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and even ESPN analyst Nick Saban. As per reports, Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau, Tim Tebow, and retired coaches Tony Dungy and Mack Brown were invited, but were not able to attend.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a round table on collegiate sports in the White House (REUTERS)

Trump drops NIL bombshell

Talking at the roundtable, the president quickly addressed NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) issues.

“The amount of money being spent and lost by otherwise very successful schools is astounding, just in a short period of time,” Trump said. “It’s only going to get worse.

“It’s crazy. Young people are being signed, 17-year-old quarterbacks for $12 million, 13 million, 14 million.”

Who attended Trump's college sports roundtable on Friday

Internal Participants (Cabinet/Secretaries)

Secretary Marco Rubio, Department of State

Secretary Scott Bessent, Department of Treasury

Secretary Doug Burgum, Department of Interior

Secretary Howard Lutnick, Department of Commerce

Secretary Linda McMahon, Department of Education

External Participants

Valerie Ackerman, Commissioner, Big East

Charlie Baker, President, NCAA

Pete Bevacqua, Athletic Director, University of Notre Dame

Dave Blitzer, Co-Owner, Philadelphia 76ers, NJ Devils, & Washington Commanders

Cody Campbell, Board Chair, Texas Tech University System

Gerry Cardinale, Partner, USFL, NY Yankees, Fenway, etc.

Joe Castiglione, Athletic Director, University of Oklahoma

Jim Clements, Former President, Clemson University

Scott Dolson, Athletic Director, Indiana University

Boris Epshteyn, Senior Personal Counsel to the President

Marc Ganis, President, Managing Director, & Co-Founder, SportsCorp

Sarah Hirshland, CEO, USOPC

Lou Lamoriello, Hockey Hall of Fame

Randy Levine, President, New York Yankees

Seth Levinson, Sports Agent, ACES

Urban Meyer, Former Head Coach, Ohio State University

Tim Pernetti, Commissioner, American Athletic Conference (AAC)

Tony Petitti, Commissioner, Big Ten

Jim Phillips, Commissioner, ACC

Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN

Donde Plowman, Chancellor, University of Tennessee

Taylor Randall, President, University of Utah

Condoleezza Rice, Former United States Secretary of State

Nick Saban, Former Head Coach, University of Alabama

Greg Sankey, Commissioner, SEC

Eric Shanks, CEO, Fox Sports

Adam Silver, Commissioner, NBA

Charlie Ward, Head Basketball Coach, Florida A&M

Brett Yormark, Commissioner, Big 12

John Currie, Athletic Director, Wake Forest

John Donohue, Director of Athletics, Stanford

Doug Girod, Chancellor, University of Kansas

Dr. Jeff Gold, President, University of Nebraska

Robert Klein, Redbird Capital

Jere Morehead, President, University of Georgia

Jamie Pollard, Athletic Director, Iowa State University

Jack Swarbrick, Former Athletic Director, University of Notre Dame

Elected Officials

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA-04)

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA-01)

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)

Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO)

Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI-09)

Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH-04)

Representative Brett Guthrie (R-KY-02)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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