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Complaint Against Alvin Keels For Loan From Player

Section 3(B)(6) of the NFLPA Regulations Governing Contract Advisors states,

Contract Advisors are prohibited from:

Directly or indirectly borrowing money from any player (whether or not the player is a client), either by receiving the funds directly from the player or by the player providing collateral for or agreeing to guarantee a loan to the Contract Advisor by another party.

And according to Section 2(E) of the same Regulations, titled Suspension or Revocation of Certification,

At any time subsequent to granting Certification to a Contract Advisor, the NFLPA may, based upon information brought to its attention or acting on its own initiative, immediately…propose the suspension or revocation of such Certification…for conduct prohibited in Section 3(B)(1) through 3(B)(31).

Alvin Keels of Global Management Group will not have his certification revoked, but the NFLPA has issued a disciplinary complaint against the young and successful sports agent.  At issue is a $200,000 loan that he received from Madieu Williams, a safety with the Minnesota Vikings.  Keels did not receive the money directly from Williams (he received the stipend from a private equity firm called BluePrint, LLC).  Keels’ attorney, David Cornwell, claims that Keels did not have actual knowledge that BluePrint used NFL players’ money to fund its loans.  Will that play a role in the NFLPA’s disciplinary decision?

Keels will answer the complaint and the NFLPA will continue to investigate the matter.

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.

One reply on “Complaint Against Alvin Keels For Loan From Player”

In the course of researching why Kam Chancellor would be taking such an unintelligent and inflexible stand against the Seahawk management, I decided to look into his agent. Discovering this information makes sense of the theory that Mr Chancellor is receiving very bad advice. Advice that may be to the advantage of Mr Keels and NOT Mr Chancellor. Such a pity.

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