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Agent Spotlight: Kyle Rote Jr.

Kyle Rote Jr. is a man who has lived a very full life.  He is currently in his late 50s, but as a young child, was probably heavily influenced by his father, who once played for the New York Giants.  A lot of people talk about athleticism running in a family.  The Rote family may definitely be used as an example.  Rote Jr. played some football, but really excelled in the sport of soccer.  He performed in the North American Soccer League for eight years before hanging up his cleats in 1981.  Since retirement from professional soccer, Kyle Rote Jr. has entered the sports agent profession, and has taken his success along with him.

Kyle Rote Jr. is the founder of Athletic Resource Management (ARM, Inc.).  Rote Jr. currently serves as CEO of the company that you may not recognize at first glance.  Do you recognize the name Jimmy Sexton?  He is the President of ARM, Inc., which is one of the industry leaders in representation of football players and coaches.  Their client list includes Philip Rivers, Jason Whitten, and DeAngelo Williams on the player end.  As far as coaches go, Sexton and Rote Jr. are at the top of the profession.  They represent Nick Saban, Bill Parcells, Phillip Fulmer, Steve Spurrier, Houston Nutt…the list goes on and on.

Rote Jr. will be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame class in February.  All of us at SportsAgentBlog.com congratulate him and wish ARM, Inc. continued success in the world of sports business.

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.