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Rosenhaus In Bed With ESPN?

If you watched any portion of the NFL Draft, you undoubtedly caught the new commercial on ESPN featuring Drew Rosenhaus.

Tom Jones of the St. Pete Times likes the commercial, but thinks that there is a blatant conflict of interest in having Rosenhaus on a commercial that was paid for by ESPN and really endorses the ESPN brand.

ESPN does stories on Rosenhaus. It does stories about his clients. Why should the viewer trust any story it sees when one of Rosenhaus’ clients is negotiating a new deal, or worse, gets into legal trouble?
This isn’t to say ESPN will slant stories one way or the other, but just the appearance of a conflict of interest puts doubt in the viewers’ minds, and why would ESPN risk its credibility?

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.

4 replies on “Rosenhaus In Bed With ESPN?”

I have to disagree with Jones. I am an agent myself and when I first saw the commercial, ESPN’s credibility never once crossed my mind…it is what it is, just a commercial that provides 30 seconds of entertainment. Lance Armstrong was in an ESPN commercial and when the negative news broke on him, ESPN reported it.

I agree with Brian. A conflict of interest claim is too farfetched. Drew Rosenhaus is basically another celebrity guest on an ESPN commercial and this in no way should detract from his credibility. This is about as good of a 30 second plug as one could hope for.

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