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Friday Wrap-Up

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up

At home this weekend against The Citadel, away next week against FSU, and then the SEC Championship vs. Alabama.  Can the Florida Gators pull it off and return to the National Championship game?  If so, it will be in my backyard of Miami, Florida.  Dynasty is real happy about Dan Leatherman re-signing with the Nats.  We had a couple of football players try out with an AFL1 team this week.  Check out our new Oklahoma-based model on the Entertainment side of the company.  Studying for Finals has officially begun.  I register for Spring semester classes on Tuesday.  It is hard to believe that I am almost half way through law school.  Here are some links for stories that I missed over the past week:

Sports Business

Basketball

Baseball

Football

  • Should we start taking this kind of speak seriously? [Berthelsen predicts lockout in court testimony]
  • About a dozen candidates remain in the search to replace the late Gene Upshaw [NFLPA narrows search for next executive director].

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.

3 replies on “Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up”

It’ll be really interesting to see how the Brandon Jennings experiment works out for Under Armour. If he’s successful (which I think he will be), it could turn out to be a great move for them. That blog/site looks really slick.

Thanks for the good posts this week, very informational. Quick question though – do minor league players really sign 2-year guaranteed contracts? If so, I would hope that in the contract, the monthly salary stipulated is higher for each higher level of A ball that Leatherman reaches. Did he sign what they call a “split” contract or a National Association contract with a side letter? Or just a pure minor league deal? What were some of the provisions that an agent negotiates? Can you share any of these (besides obviously trying to get Leatherman a higher monthly pay)? Good luck with your clients. I am sure you are seeing that repping PBL and AFL1 clients is a good experience but definitely to make a living being an agent, it will be tough. My friend had lunch with an agent who reps 3 NBA clients and he is contemplating going back into real estate. Keep working hard, but be cognizant that some parents might not like an agent who parties hard.

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