Former Georgia Bulldogs running back Keith Marshall visited the White House to discuss the current environment of college athletics, specifically college football. Marshall is the co-founder of The Players’ Lounge, which helps college athletes make money through producing content and from their name, image and likeness (NIL).
Marshall emphasized that he visited the White House with low expectations, but came away with a positive feeling after his visit. The landscape of college athletics has really changed over the past several years with the transfer portal and name, image and likeness.
The reality is that college athletes make a bunch of money for their respective institutions and deserve to be treated fairly for their significant sacrifices. College football players face a lifetime of potential health issues from concussions and CTE.
Marshall discusses his visit with Paul Finebaum
It's not everyday you get to go to the White House. @Truthh4 explains what the day was like in Washington talking CFB players' rights. pic.twitter.com/ihF1d1rFeq
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) November 8, 2023
Keith Marshall and so many other college athletes had promising careers unravel thanks to unfortunate injuries. Marshall also has first-hand experience of what he is seeing with name, image and likeness. After an initial period of boom, Marshall is seeing less money being thrown around these days.
Who else attended the event?
Desmond Howard, Andrew Luck, Ryan Clark, Rod Gilmore, Jordan Meachum, and Kevin Negandhi were among the other former college athletes and analysts to join Keith Marshall at the White House event.
Marshall's experience at the White House
Marshall notes that President Joe Biden and his staff did not specify exactly what their next step would be.
Didn’t get into any federal legislation … or that you can expect us to do X or Y or Z.
However, he did leave the meeting feeling that the White House wants a better environment for college athletes as the government determines what to do next for NCAA athletes after making a game-changing ruling on name, image and likeness several years ago.
President Joe Biden on the meeting
I believe college football players deserve to have their voice heard on and off the field.
Today, I met with former players and advocates to discuss fair treatment and consistent safety standards. pic.twitter.com/3m0hsbMOmN
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 8, 2023
Keith Marshall is pictured second from the right.
USA TODAY has more coverage of Marshall's visit to the White House
USA TODAY’s Steve Berkowitz and Michael Collins have further coverage on Marshall’s visit to the White House. Berkowitz and Collins mention bills that have been proposed regarding college athletes, discussions on unionization, and other issues like healthcare.
