Trump, DeSantis to tackle college sports' NIL issues

Florida will be represented when President Donald Trump convenes a "Saving College Sports" roundtable March 6 at the White House to discuss issues related to a once-amateur pursuit that is rapidly evolving into a professionalized industry. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis will be vice chair for the meeting, focused on how to develop rules and regulations in the wake of court decisions that enable college athletes to be compensated for use of their name, image, or likeness. News of the summit was first reported by Yahoo Sports. 

Without anti-trust protection, which courts have invalidated, or a collective bargaining agreement that could designate players as employees, college athletics is currently a marketplace with few rules. Wealthy universities can fill their rosters by outspending competitors who aren’t backed by well-financed boosters. 

Trump has made the issue a priority. The idea for the summit apparently emerged from a Feb. 15 golf outing the president hosted at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach that included DeSantis and former college coaches Urban Meyer of the University of Florida, Mack Brown of North Carolina, and Nick Saban of Alabama. They all were invited to the roundtable.  

Also among the 40 people invited to the White House roundtable, according to ESPN, are two Heisman Trophy winners from the state.

On the list is former Florida State University quarterback and current Florida A&M University basketball coach Charlie Ward, who won the award for best football player in 1992, and the University of Florida’s Tim Tebow, the 2007 winner. 

Invitations were also sent to Tiger Woods, former U.S. Secretary of State and College Football Playoff selection committee member Condoleezza Rice, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, and Indiana University Athletics Director Scott Dolson.

Despite Trump’s support for NIL regulations and multiple college athletics directors calling for congressional action, supporters have been unable to get a bill to move in Congress. Yahoo Sports said it is unclear if all the people invited have accepted the invitation. 

James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow on him X: @CallTallahassee.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Trump, DeSantis to discuss college sports' NIL future