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Aroldis Chapman Says Adios To Athletes Premier International

The big news this weekend that was largely disregarded by anyone outside of the sports agent industry was that Aroldis Chapman fired Edwin Mejia and Athletes Premier International (API) and picked up Hendricks Sports Management.  Randy and Alan Hendricks will be representing the hottest free agent not named Matt Holliday or Jason Bay.  Interestingly, I recently wrote about the comfort factor between players who are looking to make a switch in representation and looking at Hendricks to fill that void.  The most recent switch of Chapman to Hendricks furthers my argument that the brothers are quickly becoming the Rosenhaus’ of baseball.  They signed former Cuba defector, Kendry Morales, and now have another defector in Chapman.  Perhaps a new business strategy?

It has been well documented that Edwin Mejia has done anything and everything for Aroldis Chapman ever since he defected from the Cuban national team.  Mejia became a jet-setter, traveling to the Netherlands, Spain, and eventually to Andorra, where Chapman established residency.  This was Mejia’s huge fish since he had never represented a player on any 40-man roster in the past.  Chapman was his “in” to become MLBPA licensed and to receive a nice chunk of change in commissions based on the contract Chapman will be signing sometime in the future.

What influenced Chapman’s decision to make a switch so abruptly?  Again, the comfort factor had to play a huge role.  No matter how many recommendations Mejia might have received, Chapman likely wanted to put his future earnings in the hands of a team that has had a lot of experience negotiating major deals.  Was Chapman also worried about API’s shady Facebook tactics?  Who knows if someone passed along my article about one of API’s employees (Jay Hairston) friending my former roommates, fraternity brothers, family, and clients.  If so, maybe he was discouraged by their actions.  Why spend time on that when they should have made Chapman their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd concern?  What will Edwin and API do now that their cash cow has left them?

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.

5 replies on “Aroldis Chapman Says Adios To Athletes Premier International”

Hey Darren! Huge fan of your blog! You mentioned API’s possible shady busines by this Hairston character…Maybe it was more of their inexpierience. It appears to me the Hendricks Brothers are the ones up to shady business! Three players decide to jump ship from 3 different agencies inth past year seems a bit fishy to me! What’s your take on this? Thanks.

I can only speak from personal experience. I have never had a client contacted by the Hendricks Brothers (that I know of). I mentioned in my post that inexperience probably played a large role in Chapman’s switch. Hendricks can justify the three players jumping ship from other agencies (based on their track record and/or the other agency’s faults). How can you justify going on Facebook and friending every person on a rival agent’s Friend List?

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Hendricks hired Kendry’s agent after his old agency stopped their practice. This agent is Cuban. I would assume at some point Kendry knew Aroldis and a phone call was placed. Not sure how shady that is…

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