White House Roundtable Addresses Growing Crisis in College Athletics

The White House recently hosted a roundtable led by President Donald Trump that focused on the escalating financial, legal and governance crises facing U.S. college athletics. The discussion brought together leaders from sports, government and business to examine how recent court rulings, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) practices, and inconsistent state laws have destabilized the traditional collegiate sports model. Participants included Hall-of-Fame coach Nick Saban, Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua, NCAA President Charlie Baker and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. Participants broadly agreed that without swift federal intervention, college athletics (particularly non-revenue, Olympic pipeline and women’s sports) face long-term and potentially irreversible damage.

At the center of the conversation was the SCORE Act, which Speaker Mike Johnson and others repeatedly referenced as the most viable legislative option for restoring national standards and stability. The SCORE Act is legislation that aims to establish some uniformity for NIL decisions. The act would provide a limited antitrust exemption for schools, conferences and the NCAA. President Trump hinted at the exemption having a two-year limit to ensure Congress can enforce the reforms but that the exemption is still essential, so conferences and schools are allowed to set rules without constant litigation. Trump also emphasized that players deserve to be paid, but not so heavily, and then spoke briefly on the inequality of pay between positions and different sports.

Participants agreed that NIL has strayed far from its original intent, allowing athletes to monetize their personal brands and has instead become an unregulated, donor-driven “pay-for-play” system through collectives.

Nick Saban argued that NIL should return to a “pure capitalism” model, where athletes earn compensation through legitimate business opportunities rather than quasi-salary structures created by boosters. Saban was very passionate about the importance of education and the lack of focus on that in today’s sports world. Participants warned that with absent federal standards, NIL abuses will continue to widen disparities between schools and conferences and contribute to the growing lack of focus on education seen in college athletes.

The downstream effects of the current system on non-revenue sports received significant attention. Pete Bevacqua warned that without federal regulation, increasing football and basketball spending will inevitably force universities to eliminate Olympic and women’s programs.

While some participants expressed concern that recent legal settlements harmed women’s sports, others countered that certain changes, such as the House settlement, have expanded scholarship opportunities for female athletes. Despite differing perspectives, there was broad agreement that reform must explicitly protect these programs.

Bevacqua proposed a reinvestment model requiring schools that spend heavily on revenue sports to allocate a portion of those revenues back into Olympic sports.

Many times, throughout the roundtable, President Trump sharply criticized a California judge who approved the multi-billion dollar settlement ending three separate federal antitrust lawsuits claiming the NCAA was illegally limiting the earning power of college athletes. The president characterized the decision as uninformed and destabilizing, arguing it triggered widespread legal uncertainty and accelerated the current crisis. This ruling was cited as a prime example of why national legislation and antitrust clarity are urgently needed.

President Trump says he plans to sign an executive order that he called “all-encompassing,” going on to say, “I’ll have an executive order which will solve every problem in this room, every conceivable problem, within one week, and we’ll put it forward. We will get sued. That’s the only thing I know for sure.”

The executive order has yet to come out, but it is intended as a stopgap measure, stabilizing the system while Congress works toward passing legislation, potentially anchored by the highly anticipated SCORE Act.

The White House roundtable made it clear that college athletics has entered a period of profound uncertainty, fragmented rules and rapidly shifting economic realities. While perspectives varied on the best path forward, there was broad agreement that the absence of national standards has left schools, athletes and governing bodies navigating an unstable and increasingly inequitable system. As policymakers weigh executive action alongside potential legislation, the challenge will be crafting reforms that restore order without undermining opportunity, ensuring that athlete compensation, educational priorities and the preservation of non-revenue sports can coexist in a sustainable model.

As the landscape of college athletics continues to shift under the weight of legal, financial and governance reforms, athletes and institutions alike will need trusted guidance to navigate what comes next. Withum’s dedicated Professional Sports team stands ready to support athletes through these transitions, helping them understand evolving NIL rules, protect their financial futures and build sustainable long-term strategies in this complex environment.

Author: Lamar Plunkett, CPA | [email protected]