USA FOOTBALL ADDS ESPN’S MIKE GOLIC, THE TRUST’S KELLY MEHRTENS AND BIG TEN COMMISSIONER KEVIN WARREN TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

INDIANAPOLIS – USA Football, the sport’s national governing body and a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, announced today that former NFL player and ESPN analyst MIKE GOLIC, The Trust (Powered by the NFL Players Association) Executive Director KELLY MEHRTENS and Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren have been named to its board of directors.

USA Football’s board of directors is comprised of leaders in education, medicine and athletics. Board members guide and help the independent non-profit establish important standards and programs to advance, unify and grow the sport for the good of youth, high school and adult amateur players.

“Our board’s vision and the unifying power of our game are especially important right now,” USA Football CEO & Executive Director SCOTT HALLENBECK said. “It’s exciting for all of us – parents, players and volunteers – across grassroots football to welcome these three leaders to our USA Football family. Their extraordinary wisdom and vast experience will benefit us immensely.”

Golic serves as a college football analyst for ESPN following a 20-plus year run as one of America’s most popular sports radio program co-hosts. The nine-year NFL veteran joined ESPN in 1995 as an NFL studio analyst before co-hosting the iconic, long-running “Mike & Mike” show on ESPN Radio that ran nearly 18 years. Prior to his current role with ESPN, he co-hosted ESPN Radio’s weekday morning drive show, “Golic and Wingo,” for nearly three years. Golic is a member of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcasting Hall of Fame (2016) and the National Radio Hall of Fame (2018).

Mehrtens is the executive director of The Trust (Powered by the NFLPA), which provides NFL players the resources and support they need to ensure success as they make the transition to a post-NFL playing career. In her role she is responsible for managing and marketing a wealth of services, connecting players to these VIP benefits and services. Previously, she served as The Trust’s managing director, a position she assumed in 2016. Before joining The Trust, Mehrtens was the deputy director of athletics/COO at the University of Maryland that helped oversee the transition of the university from the Atlantic Coast Conference to the Big Ten Conference.

Warren was named Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference on June 4, 2019, becoming the sixth commissioner in the history of the Big Ten and the first African-American commissioner to lead an “Autonomy Five” conference. Over the summer he created the Big Ten Conference Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition to give the league's student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors, chancellors, presidents and others a platform to work towards creating meaningful, tangible change. Prior to his arrival at the Big Ten, Warren worked 21 seasons in the NFL, most recently as chief operating officer for the Minnesota Vikings where he was the highest ranking African-American executive working on the business side for a team in the NFL and the first African-American COO in NFL history. Warren was added to USA Football’s board this past summer.

USA Football educates more high school and youth coaches combined than any organization in the United States. The organization designs and delivers premier educational, developmental and competitive programs for coaches, athletes and administrators.

USA Football Board of Directors:

• Gen. Raymond T. Odierno (Ret.), Chairman
• Todd Berry, American Football Coaches Association
• Mike Golic, ESPN
• Roger Goodell*, National Football League
• Cody Hawkins^, University of California-Davis
• Oliver Luck, Private Investor
• Kelly Mehrtens, The Trust
• Dr. Michael McCrea, Medical College of Wisconsin
• Willie McGinest, NFL Network
• Kandice Pritchett Mitchell^, Atlanta Public Schools
• Mark Murphy, Green Bay Packers
• Dr. Karissa Niehoff, National Federation of State High School Associations
• Elizabeth Okey^, Wintrust Financial Corporation
• Dr. Allen Sills, National Football League
• Brad Smithey^, Freeport (Texas) Brazosport High School
• Kevin Warren, Big Ten Conference
• Stan Wilcox, National Collegiate Athletic Association

*Ex officio member
^U.S. Football National Team Alumnus

About USA Football: USA Football designs and delivers premier educational, developmental and competitive programs to advance, unify and grow the sport. As the sport’s national governing body, member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and organizer of the U.S. National Team for international competition, USA Football partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experiences for youth, high school and other amateur players.