Nebraska To Be The Next UAAA State?

Nebraska may soon become the thirty-seventh state to adopt the Uniform Athlete Agent Act (UAAA).  New Jersey also has UAAA legislation waiting to be accepted or rejected in its House.  Only four of the twelve remaining states have any athlete-agent laws on their books, leaving eight states without any agent registration requirements.  The UAAA has two main purposes:

• Restricting incentives. A state that adopts the UAAA has another tool to use against an agent who offers anything to a student-athlete to sign with his/her company.  This can be something as big as a free car to as small as a free meal.
• Informing student-athletes. If you are signing a student-athlete in a UAAA state, you better make sure to put this paragraph in your representation agreement:

UAAA Requirement For Student-Athletes

Uniform Athlete Agent Act Requirement:

WARNING TO STUDENT-ATHLETE

IF YOU SIGN THIS CONTRACT:

(1) YOU MAY LOSE YOUR ELIGIBILITY TO COMPETE AS A STUDENT-ATHLETE IN YOUR SPORT;

(2) IF YOU HAVE AN ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, WITHIN 72 HOURS AFTER ENTERING INTO THIS CONTRACT, BOTH YOU AND YOUR ATHLETE AGENT MUST NOTIFY YOUR ATHLETIC DIECTOR; AND

(3) YOU MAY CANCEL THIS CONTRACT WITHIN 14 DAYS AFTER SIGNING IT.  CANCELLATION OF THIS CONTRACT MAY NOT REINSTATE YOUR ELIGIBILITY.

But since the UAAA was originally drafted and adopted in 2000, many have praised its intention and heavily criticized its enforcement.  As more states sign onto the Act, will enforcement pick up?  Alabama seems to be a leader in making sure that agents register with the state and follow all provisions of the UAAA  Will other states follow Alabama’s lead?