President Donald Trump is hosting an NIL roundtable on Friday with some of the biggest figures across pro and collegiate sports set to attend and discuss the issues in college athletics today and what the potential solutions need to be.
The scope of the meeting underscores just how sweeping the college sports crisis has become.
The roundtable is set to include NCAA President Charlie Baker, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, Big East Commissioner Valerie Ackerman and AAC Commissioner Tim Pernett, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, White House cabinet secretaries, lawmakers, governors, and many others.
While breaking down a list of attendees that includes Saban as well as Tiger Woods, Charlie Baker, Urban Meyer and many others at the highest echelon of the industry, Fox News dove into the reasons why Saban retired in the first place and how they have a ton to do with the issues he’s fighting for now.
“I think Nick Saban in the room is the big story here,” Fox reporter Darren Botelho said. “Saban didn’t retire because he couldn’t coach anymore, he retired because he says the system is broken. He’s been warning Congress for years that if they don’t put some rules in place, the whole thing is going to collapse.”
Trump will attempt to use executive power to push for national standards in NIL which could level the playing field, and the voice of someone like Saban in the room should go a long way towards making that happen.
According to the White House, the full list of confirmed attendees includes:
- 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
- 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 10
- 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 University
- John Donahue, 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
- 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)
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
