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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On March 29, the New York Daily News ran a story that contained this blurb:
10 replies on “Did Blake Griffin Receive Improper Benefits?”
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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2009/03/28/2009-03-28_lakers_rolling_but_andrew_bynum_key_to_r.html?page=1
“CORRECTION: An item in Mitch Lawrence’s “Slam Dunks” on Sunday stated that agent Jeff Schwartz financed a conditioning camp in California attended last summer by Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin. The item should have stated that this was only an allegation and that there was no proof of the allegation. The Daily News regrets any misunderstanding this item may have caused.”
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Yeah, I saw that. But isn’t it odd that the entire story was taken down…and that it was taken down as fast as it was? So state that it’s only an allegation, but take the whole thing down? I just find it pretty odd.
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I think the original story was always about the Lakers — check out the URL. Perhaps the Griffin thing always lived in the sidebar.
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The url was changed. If you type in the blurb in Google you will see.
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Really? It’s the same URL that HoopsHype, RealGM and FanNation linked when they originally posted about it two days ago …
Either way, it doesn’t relate to the point of your post, so I’ll shut up now …
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It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure out why it was taken down. The reporter heard the camp was financed by Schwartz, heard Griffin was going to be repped by Schwartz, then posted the article putting two and two together. I would imagine he was presented with evidence that Schwartz had nothing to do with the camp, and in an effort to avoid embarrasing himself and the paper, the article was removed.
If there was a nugget of truth to the story, it would still be up. Any paper or reporter would love to have a bit of scandal on the No. 1 pick and a kid who has been praised for his character to an almost Tebow-like level. The fact that the article is out and about on the blogs just makes the guy look like a hack now. They can say it should have read “allegedly,” but I would imagine he’s just trying to save a little face by not admitting he posted wrong information and didn’t take time to verify his sources.
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Darren, the article was always about the Lakers, the mention of Griffin and Flynn was always just a blurb (there was never a full article about Griffin). The original post was the same length as the new corrected statement. Thanks for always posting interesting stuff. Also, there is no way that Schwartz paid for Griffin’s training – he did pay for the likes of Armstrong, Afflalo and Slaughter to train there, but those guys were not still in college.
Thanks for the clarification. I never saw the original article, and now I know why! But still, the blurb was enough to generate some curiosity on my part.
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Darren, it definitely should generate some curiosity, so keep up the great work. There is no doubt that agents use their connections with top notch trainers to help secure clients (like Andy Miller and IMG, Levien and Thorpe back in the days). Schwartz is a classy guy and while he may pay his current clients for helping deliver future clients, he is not silly enough to pay for someone like Griffin’s traiing (but he is smart enough to hook the family up with a trainer and stay in touch with the kid and family during the season, nothing illegal about that, even if he doesn’t follow the school’s usual process). Is there any way you can tell us about Andre Buck – how do you think he convinced him to come out of school and then signed Dajaun Summers (was LeBron involved, is he a 1st round pick and future pro, why didn’t JT3 steer him to Falk, was there illegalities involved)?
[…] Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin makes decision on future, others also consider NBA early… Oklahoma’s star forward and this years AP player of the year decides to forgo his last two years of eligibility to enter the NBA draft. Many predict he will be the 1st overall pick in this years NBA Draft. Perhaps we will soon find out if he is going to be represented by agent Jeff Schwartz. […]