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World Wide Sports Screw-Up

Dunyasha M. Yetts was once the big man on campus at The Ohio State University. He was the Big Ten wrestling champion of his weight class in 1994 and made it to the semifinal round of the NCAA Championship in wrestling that year.

His passion in the ring was transfered in the sports agent industry. After college, Yetts set up his own agency, World Wide Sports Group, and quickly made a lot of “investor friends.” These friends entrusted Yetts with their money and never saw any return or their initial investment ever again.

Yetts finally admitted that he was involved in an investment scam that took a total of $1.8 million away from his so-called friends [Ex-OSU wrestling champ admits investment scam]. He was involved in mail fraud and was stupid enough to have marijuana shipped to the address of his sports agency. Yetts will now serve 18 months in prison, but could have had a much harsher penalty had he not offered a guilty plea bargain.

I was able to trace the issue back to 2001, when the SEC seemed to have first taken action against Yetts [Securities and Exchange Commission v. Dunyasha M. Yetts, Worldwide Financial Group, Inc, World Wide Sports Group, Inc. and Gordon Yocom, Civ. Act. No. C2-01-1263 (S.D. Ohio)]. One of his associates was tried separately and told to pay $86,495.35 in damages [SEC Obtains Final Judgment Against Relief Defendant Gordon L. Yocom].

I always try to promote all the great things that agents are doing for their clients and others, but in order to truly open up the industry and give you all a glimpse of the entire scene, it is necessary to reveal those who commit stupid crimes. If we can weed out people like Yetts from our business, we will be doing ourselves a big service.

-Darren Heitner

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.

2 replies on “World Wide Sports Screw-Up”

The actual complaint was filed years ago. Yetts just recently put in a guilty plea and will serve time in jail + pay out damages for whatever he can afford.

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