Florida A&M men's basketball coach and former Heisman winner Charlie Ward has been invited to the White House by Donald Trump. The invite comes as Trump looks to bring together a roundtable to discuss the issues and solutions occurring in college athletics.
Per a report by Yahoo Sports, Ward is one of over 30 invites to the roundtable, including Power Five athletic directors, notable college coaches such as Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, and fellow Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.
The roundtable is called the “Saving College Sports” roundtable. It pushes for congressional action on the ever-changing nature of college athletics, such as Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal.
The meeting also comes on the heels of the House v. NCAA settlement. The NCAA settled the lawsuit for $275 billion and also agreed to a revenue-sharing model, which allows college athletic programs that opt into the settlement to distribute money to players up to $20 million.
In July, Trump signed the executive order entitled “Saving College Sports.” The executive order was meant to direct members of the federal government and the Trump administration to develop plans and potential policies to outline issues in college athletics, but any significant federal legislation affecting college athletics would ultimately require passage by Congress and the President's signature.
Before Ward became coach at Florida A&M, he made history as a two-sport athlete at Florida State. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1993, excelled on the men's basketball team, and was drafted by the NBA in 1994. It was ultimately higher to be Florida A&M's men's basketball coach in April 2025.
