Owner of the Miami Dolphins Stephen Ross (L) and Donald Trump attend the 25th Great Sports Legends Dinner to benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis at The Waldorf.

President Donald Trump never hesitates to bring up his connections to NFL team owners.

"I know the owners. I know [New England Patriots owner] Bob Kraft. I know so many of the owners," Trump told reporters Friday as he answered a question about whether teams would sign activist and free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, according to The Washington Post.

As wealthy business people, sports franchise owners often rub elbows with presidents and members of Congress. After decades as a developer and multiple attempts to buy an NFL team himself, Trump entered the White House in 2017 with particularly close relationships within America's most lucrative sports league.

A Friday fundraiser for Trump in the wealthy summer haven of the Hamptons on Long Island put a microscope on the president's ties to NFL team bosses. The event's host, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, faced swift backlash for his association with a president whose immigration crackdown and comments about lawmakers of color have sparked fresh charges of racism in recent weeks.

Trump's financial ties to NFL owners stretch well beyond Ross. At least nine owners or the companies they control donated to Trump's inaugural committee. Several of them have also given money to either Trump's campaign or its joint fundraising arm with the Republican Party during the 2016, 2018 and 2020 election cycles, according to Federal Election Commission records. Donors include:

Robert McNair, Houston Texas: $1.6 million to Trump inaugural committee, Trump Victory and Trump campaign.

Woody Johnson, New York Jets: $1.5 million to Trump inaugural committee, Trump Victory and Trump campaign.

Dan Snyder, Washington Redskins: $1.1 million to Trump inaugural committee and Trump Victory.

Shahid Khan, Jacksonville Jaguars: $1 million to Trump inaugural committee.

Stan Kroenke, Los Angeles Rams: $1 million to Trump inaugural committee.

Robert Kraft, New England Patriots: His company, Kraft Group, gave $1 million to the Trump inaugural committee.

James Haslam, Cleveland Browns: $100,000 to Trump inaugural committee (his company, Pilot Travel Centers, gave another $300,000).

Edward Glazer, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $302,700 to Trump inaugural committee, Trump Victory and Trump campaign (Glazer also hosted a fundraiser for Trump Victory in March 2018).

Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys: Glenstone LP, a business entity linked to Jones that shares the Cowboys' address, gave $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee

The owners and their firms put about $7.7 million toward the president's 2017 inauguration. They have piled at least another $1.1 million into Trump's election efforts.

Trump most often touts his friendship with Kraft, owner of the Patriots and CEO of Kraft Group. While his company donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee, other NFL owners have spent considerably more to support the president.