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Will Agent’s Tweets Anger Under Armour?

A good college friend and fraternity brother of mine, Adam Silverstein (@onlygators on Twitter) sent me a message to check out David Canter’s tweets criticizing Under Armor and the ad company that created UA’s new advertisement…and then his tweets backtracking from pressure yesterday.  Canter’s criticism was blasted using Twitter as his medium of choice, which is why I wondered to myself why I didn’t catch it without being notified.  Then I checked Canter’s Twitter page.  The DEC Management principal, who I considered a friend, apparently does not want me following his progress.  This is the note I received when I clicked the “Follow” button:

You have been blocked from following this account at the request of the user.

Oh well.  Anyway, Canter’s tweets from July 19th read:

Someone please fire the ad agency that did the new Devin Hester Under Armour ads. Wow beyond awful

@darrenrovell1 disappointing stuff to say the least– short UA stock– hester isnt a big enough name and the spots were atrocious

@darrenrovell1 is Darren Rovell,a sports business specialist at CNBC.  Canter’s statement yesterday:

I apologize if my advertising and comments offended any corporations last night- it wasn’t meant to hurt- only to be constructive criticism.

There is no problem with having opinions.  There is a problem with vocalizing those opinions when they reflect poorly on your company and your clients.  See one of Canter’s clients from this year’s NFL draft recently signed a deal with Under Armour.  In fact, Canter tweeted about it on June 22nd:

CONGRATULATIONS TO DEC MANAGEMENT CLIENT PAUL KRUGER WHO JUST SIGNED A NEW TWO YEAR DEAL TO ENDORSE UNDER ARMOUR

This post is not intended to harm Canter’s reputation (although I am a little disappointed that he decided to block me on Twitter), but instead to make people realize that what they say (especially on Twitter) cannot be erased.  And those statements, when you are an agent, go well beyond reflecting poorly on your own image.  It can hurt your clients as well.  We need to make sure to place damage controls on our clients’ usage of social media sites, and we should remember to think twice about what we say before we go tweeting away.

Remember that Twitter is a very powerful medium to promote players and your own business.  In the same respect, saying the wrong thing has its negative consequences.  One thing I will point out is that I give Canter credit for immediately apologizing for his remarks.  He owned up to his mistake and should be forgiven for it.

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.

2 replies on “Will Agent’s Tweets Anger Under Armour?”

As a clarification, Darren Rovell did not write "disappointing stuff to say the least– short UA stock– hester isnt a big enough name and the spots were atrocious." It was a tweet sent by Canter that was intended to be read by Rovell. There may have been some confusion for those of you not on the Twitter bandwagon.

By Post Author

Wow, seems UA has some growing pains. Not surprised though after my experience with UA quality. “Poor” would sum it it up briefly. I think if UA would just focus on quality….the reputation would take care of itself, (and the stock price).

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