The NIL mess in college sports has been spiraling, and Trump has had enough. After calling it out publicly in 2025, he is now gathering the who’s who of American sports at the White House on March 6 to find a way forward. Tiger Woods is on the invite list, but the question isn’t what will happen at the meet. It’s whether the golfer will attend.

According to Yahoo Sports‘ Ross Dellenger, it is unclear whether all invitees will attend. More notably, some people close to the situation are skeptical that the meeting will even take place. Woods’s actual role in any of this remains unknown.

His name on the list is not a surprise. Woods and Trump have a long history. They have played golf together on multiple occasions, and in 2019, Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Woods also attended a White House reception for Black History Month last year. However, the connection runs deeper than just golf.

Tiger Woods confirmed his relationship with Vanessa Trump, the president’s former daughter-in-law. The two were spotted together at the 2026 Genesis Invitational at Riviera. Woods is also close to Kai. Before her LPGA debut at The ANNIKA in November 2025, he advised her to go with the flow and not overthink it.

The roundtable is set to feature a blend of sports royalty and administrative power. Alongside Woods and fellow golfer Bryson DeChambeau, the room will include legendary college football coaches like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, as well as key executives like NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Fox Sports president Eric Shanks. Several college athletic directors, including Notre Dame’s Pete Bevacqua, are also invited. Trump will chair the roundtable, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and NYY president Randy Levine as vice chairs.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

The stakes behind the meeting are high.

NIL has been reshaping college sports since 2021, when the NCAA first allowed athletes to monetize endorsements. Four years later, it has grown into a system Trump believes is breaking the sport entirely.

According to reports from July 2025, under the House v. NCAA settlement, schools can now pay athletes up to $20.5 million per year, with most of it going to football and men’s basketball players. That has forced schools to cut smaller sports and scramble for money. The University of Utah just became the first school to bring in private equity, partnering with Otro Capital through a new for-profit company, Utah Brands and Entertainment, to stay afloat financially.

Back in December 2025, the president had made his position clear at a White House ceremony honoring the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.

“I think the NIL is a disaster for sports. It’s horrible for the Olympics, and I think it’s actually horrible for the players,” he said.

He warned that schools will financially destroy themselves chasing bigger contracts and said he is willing to put the federal government behind fixing it, though he has not said exactly how.

Notably, Tiger Woods’ stake in this NIL debate is beyond professional.

Charlie Woods’ NIL future hangs in the balance, too

Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, committed to Florida State in February 2026 and almost immediately signed with Players Group Management for NIL representation, a different agency than his father’s longtime partner, Excel Sports Management.

Charlie has not signed any brand deals yet, but the market has already taken notice of him. His On3 NIL valuation sits at $842,000, largely built on name recognition and an Instagram following of over 21,000, all accumulated after a single post announcing his Florida State commitment.

On the course, though, Charlie has earned that attention. He helped The Benjamin School win a Florida state title, shooting a 4-under 68 in the final round, and earlier won the AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational in May 2025 with a closing 66, earning first-team AJGA Rolex Junior All-American honors.

Whatever NIL framework emerges from the March 6 roundtable will directly shape the landscape Charlie enters as a college athlete in 2027. For Tiger Woods, this might make this conversation personal, not just political.