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Recruiting Sports Law

Jericho Scott Is A Free Agent

Everyone has their two-cents on the story about a nine-year-old boy, Jericho Scott, who was told by his youth baseball league that his stuff on the mound was too damn good that he was not longer permitted to play in the organization.  The league wants Jericho’s team to be terminated and redistributed to other teams already established within the league.

So basically, the situation we have here is that a kid is so good compared to those at a comparable age that he has been ostracized and told that he cannot play in a private league.  Legally, there is nothing wrong with that.  There are other leagues that the kid may join.  Tons of kids who are not good enough to make teams are told year in and year out, “sorry, but we do not have a slot for you.”  When I did not make my high school tennis team, which is a public school teams, I felt hurt, but I knew that if I wanted to continue to play, there were other options out there.

The fact of the matter is that Jericho’s 40 mph fastball may be too much for opposing hitters in the league.  The solution is that he will play in a more competitive venue.  As an aside to this whole mess: how many of you think that there is at least one sports agent/agency contacting this kid’s family right now in an effort to create a relationship at an extremely early age?  When eighth graders are signing with college basketball programs, I would not be surprised to hear that Jericho Scott is already being recruited by agents and/or colleges.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.

One reply on “Jericho Scott Is A Free Agent”

I agree with Jerry Maguire’s statement : ” There is genius everywhere, but until they turn Pro it’s like popocorn in a pan. Some pop and some don’t” . I mean, how old is this kid? The process behind the growth of an athlete is much more complicated than just taking care of his talent. When I was a kid there were so many brilliant players, who never made it to the pro. People used to say “He will be a champion” “He willl become a great player”. May be they were just a little taller, stronger or smarter than the others at that point. But years went by and when other players grew up that talent seemed vanished. What I’m trying to say is that yes, I believe in child prodigy (Tiger Woods at age three, shot a 48 over nine holes at the Navy Golf Club in Cypress, California and at the age eight he used to win over older guys), but I also think that recruiting a kid so young in an “ordinary way” would be a bad thing, for him.

Let him play baseball. Let’s put him in another League , may be with older guys. Let his talent grow and see what happens. He doens’t need prospective of glory and money right know. He just need his passion for the game. Go to his parents and talk to them. Give them advice and follow the growth of young Jericho without interfering with natural process. Then the right time to talk about a contract will come.

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