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Follow Up To Interview With David Falk

A week ago, Darren Rovell interviewed sports agent David Falk. He discussed the constant corruption surrounding the sports agent profession and the overall devolving of the practice of representing athletes. A lot of media entities picked up on a particular part of Darren’s interview with Falk:

Falk: …I wanted to meet a college player who I really enjoyed watching this year. So I asked a friend of mine, who is a very powerful man in the game, to introduce me to him. And he said, “I’d like to help but I can’t.” And when I asked why. He said, “You are three years and $500,000 short.”

For the past week, everyone has wanted to know who that very powerful man is. Falk talked to Henry Abbott of ESPN about his statement, but did not reveal any real useful information…other than the fact that he has a fascination with Crocodile Dundee. One thing we know is that the very powerful man is not William Wesley, although he is definitely a very powerful man in the world of basketball. The very powerful man cited could be William Wesley. In fact, a lot of people are putting their money on the fact that Worldwide Wes is the contact. However, Falk makes sure to point out that Wes was not the person who paid the player. Sorry for the previous confusion. But back to Crocodile Dundee. Abbott’s gets five stars on his reporting for getting this quote out of Falk:

Have you seen Crocodile Dundee 2? There’s a part where an African-American guy comes up to Paul Hogan and pulls a switchblade on him. Hogan is from the outback, and asks, what’s that? And the guy says that’s a knife. Hogan says that’s not a knife. THIS is a knife, and then he pulls out this huge machete.

Sometimes I think that I’d like to be like Crocodile Dundee. You want to cheat? Let’s really cheat. You want to pay someone $500,000? Let’s pay them $5 million and see what happens. You want to do that?

But … can you get that money back? Of course not. You lose before you even start. If you pay people $500,000 to get to represent them at the draft — the minute you have to pay them is the minute you can no longer advise them as an impartial agent.

Honestly, I see Falk’s point. Using a Crocodile Dundee reference to make it is an interesting tactic. Somewhere Michael Jordan is really confused.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

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