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Agent Spotlight: Leigh Steinberg

Leigh Steinberg has gone from the most prominent NFL agent to maybe just another option in a field dominated by young, passionate personas.

Steinberg first began representing athletes living as a Resident Advisor (RA) in his college dorm at UC Berkeley when he represented Steve Bartkowski. He quickly rose to the top, representing big name quarterbacks and making nice commissions on their salaries. Things started to get bad when he took on Ricky Williams as a client. It got worse when his former partner David Dunn, took 50 NFL clients with him as he left Steinberg’s company. Dunn eventually had to pay Steinberg $44.6 million for such actions, however. The money did not reverse Steinberg’s luck. He went on to be Matt Leinart’s agent [Early $ for Leinart]. Leinart moved on to CAA. Then Winston Justice of USC also terminated his representation agreement with Steinberg [Leinart Ditches Steinberg].

So what is Steinberg up to now-a-days? Well, he is still throwing his annual Super Bowl extravanza [Party Like A Sports Agent]. He is advising his clients to bank stem cells from their children or even from their own body in case this type of injury repair takes off in the near future [A Good Cellular Signal]. He actively lobbies for better concussion treatment [At NFL summit, concussions’ impact].  He recently was arrested for DUI [DUI In The OC].  And he is representing the last pick in the 2007 NFL draft?

Has Leigh Steinberg really gone from an agent who represents first overall picks and who had a movie based on his life (Jerry McGuire) to a person who has the time to represent Mr. Irrelevant? Apparently so. Ramzee Robinson, the 255th overall pick taken by the Detroit Lions, is represented by Steinberg [A T-Bone and Lowsman for Bino].  Former offensive lineman, Matt Willig, thinks that Robinson needs to date a coach’s daughter in order to just make a roster.  Has Steinberg really had his name devalued this much?

-Darren Heitner 

For more on Leigh Steinberg, check out his book: Winning With Integrity. 

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.

5 replies on “Agent Spotlight: Leigh Steinberg”

Book was still a good read despite his fall. Could be some sort of repercussion from the book? Loved all the negotiation mumble jumble he threw in, basically read like a how to negotiate contracts book with sports agent examples. Still enjoyed it.

I’ll agree that it was a good read, and was one of the first “sports agent” books that I finished. However, I thought that it was a little too preachy at times.

By Post Author

Ramzee Robinson is not represented by Steinberg. He is represented by Andrew Benedict. Steinberg throws a Mr. Irrelevant party in Newport Beach every year. The contract the article speaks of is a bit of a recurring joke. Steinberg no longer actively recruits new clients, but serves as a quasi-consultant for the Tollners at Rep 1.

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