Categories
Contract Negotiation NFL Players Sports Agents Sports Business

Jamarcus Russell’s Situation Is Getting Downright Ugly

I honestly figured that this would be the week that the Jamarcus Russell holdout would come to an end when I wrote the post, Holding Out For A Hero? on Tuesday. At that point, Russell had been up to 40 days in his current holdout. Today is the 42nd day, and I was just forwarded some information that may make this whole situation even muddier. Jamarcus still does have the rest of today and tomorrow to make my internal prediction correct.

Anyway, Liz Mullen of SportsBusinessJournal.com (subscription required), notes that a couple of agents in the company that has Russell under contract have suddenly jumped ship for another agency. Russell was, and still is, represented by the firm of Lock, Metz & Malinovic (LLM), but the man who originally recruited him to the company has now departed and joined DeBartolo Sports & Entertainment, located in Tampa, Florida. Interestingly, he left on Tuesday, which is the same day that I covered the Jamarcus Russell story for the first time.

Mel Bratton (the man who originally recruited Russell) is now Vice President of Football Operations at DeBartolo Sports, while Emanuel Drakes (the other mentioned person who broke away from LLM) will be Vice President of Recruiting. It is definitely interesting that 2 employees of LLM quit at the same time, during the longest holdout in the history of the NFL, and join the same company with both gaining Vice President positions.

Can someone tell me if Jamarcus Russell has any opinion about all of this? At least his uncle thinks he will be signing soon…

-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 “Jamarcus Russell’s Situation Is Getting Downright Ugly”

I would like to know if Bratton is leaving because the DeBartolo offer was too sweet to pass up or if he sees this mess that LMM has gotten into and wants to ride his good name of this debacle. Keep in mind that DeBartolo has put together a pretty nice team, with Ralph Cindrich heading up operations.

Comments are closed.