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College Football Players Sports Law

Rumor: Andre Smith Was Dealing Improperly With An Agent

Andre SmithYou are one of the best college football players at your position and practically guaranteed to be one of the top five overall picks in the upcoming NFL Draft (in fact, many have you slotted to be the first selection in the whole shebang).  The last thing you want to do is take any action that would lower your draft stock.  Agents are knocking on your door, calling you left and right, and promising you the best training facilities and weekly stipends.  Just wait until after your bowl game.  Alabama offensive tackle, Andre Smith, just could not resist the temptation.  He has been suspended from the Sugar Bowl and likely has played his last game in an Alabama uniform.  The suspension is reportedly for improper dealings with an agent.

As I have mentioned plenty of times on this site, Alabama does not play around when it comes to athlete agents.  The potential penalties and the propensity of Alabama to enforce its regulations has led some to say that it is not worth it to represent athletes out of Alabama at all.  While it is still just a rumor that the suspension is related to dealings with an agent, I would not be surprised based on the state of Alabama’s stance on such activity in the past.  The University of Alabama would not want to allow Smith to play if it knew about potential agent contact with one of its student athletes.

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.

One reply on “Rumor: Andre Smith Was Dealing Improperly With An Agent”

Amazing that players continue to get caught in these traps and that agents continue to take the risk. I wrote a short article on the potential criminal and civil liabilities for Smith and the agent over on my blog. Here’s a link: http://sportslawguru.com/2008/12/31/andre-smith-agent/

Happy New Year!

Matt Breeden (SportsLawGuru.com) is an internationally respected business advisor and attorney based in Indianapolis, IN. His practice is focused on Sports & Entertainment, Intellectual Property, Commercial and Corporate Law. He represents Sports & Entertainment properties, as well as many other businesses, in a variety of matters, including: Broadcast & Digital Media Agreements, Licensing Agreements, Sponsorship Agreements, Commercial Agreements, Athlete/Driver Contracts, Insurance & Risk Management, Employment Agreements, Litigation Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Formation and Corporate Governance.

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