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Asomugha Drops Baker For Condon

It is an agent’s biggest fear.  You invest a ton of time, money, and your heart into a solid player who is a great role player, but not yet a super star.  He gets his chance in his respective league, gets better and better by the year, and eventually gets elected to represent his conference in his league’s all-star game.  Then he drops you for a bigger, more well-known agent right before you get the chance to truly make some money on his big pay day.  There is no doubt in my mind that Steve Baker of Baker Sports Management is hurting right now.

Steve’s website still lists Nnamdi Asomugha as a client; however, that is no longer the case.  The former last pick of the first round for the Oakland Raiders in the 2003 NFL Draft has fired Baker Sports for Tom Condon and CAA.    Asomugha got onto the 2007 Pro Bowl roster at the last second due to another player being injured, but did not make the trip out to Honolulu.  This year is the second in a row that he has been invited to the game (although this time he was invited right after the ballots were counted).  The team captain had a Franchise Tag thrown on him before the 2008 season, which he was obviously very upset about.  Asomugha believed he was worth more than the $9.765 million he is receiving for suiting up in silver and black this year.  Angered with his current situation and not interested in a repeat, Asomugha fired Baker and hired Condon.

What will this mean for Asomugha’s cousin, Adimchinobi Echemandu, who is also represented by Baker?  Will he also jump ship and go CAA?  Will CAA accept him as a client?  Does he have any intention of following his cousin’s lead or will he act on his own?  No matter is Asomugha is represented by Baker, Condon, or Jerry Maguire, he will have only two options if the Raiders refuse to offer a long term deal and instead tag him again this offseason: Accept the Franchise Tag value for another year or hold out.

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.

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