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Just The Thought Of Jimmy Sexton With A Soul-Patch

Jimmy Sexton

Last week, when rumors were quickly spreading about various coaches who might seek out the vacant Kansas football head-coaching position, some writers started to take critical looks at their hometown coaches.  They were upset just thinking that their head coach might leave town to try to fill the large void left by Mark Mangino.  No need to chuckle for too long about that “large void” line…let’s move on.

Over the weekend, the Turner Gill, formerly the head coach of the Buffalo Bulls, accepted Kansas’ offer to become the football team’s next head coach.  The Stanford community no longer has to worry about Jim Harbaugh possibly moving East and the State of Mississippi can relax knowing that Houston Nutt is not going to be leaving any time soon.  When it looked like Nutt was considering the Kansas opening, some reporters got all out nasty when discussing the coach.  One, in particular, waged all-out war-of-words on his agent, Jimmy Sexton.

This is what Brian Cook wrote in The Sporting Blog:

Look no further than the googly-eyed one’s agent, Jimmy Sexton. Sexton looks exactly like you’d expect a slightly reptile sports agent to look and acts like he’s been scripted by Jerry Bruckheimer. Sexton represents about half of the coaches south of the Mason-Dixon line and is almost certainly the “source close to Houston Nutt” cited above.

Sexton is almost singlehandedly responsible for creating the maelstrom of coaching insanity in the South. Any opportunity to pretend his clients are thinking about jumping ship is taken, whether it’s to wheedle out a contract extension or just buy a guy who turned a top five preseason ranking into obscurity a little more goodwill at his current home. Here’s an archetypal example:

In November 2006, he brought Butch Davis back to the college ranks at North Carolina. A year later, despite a 4-8 start, Davis received a contract extension and a raise from UNC, a response to rumors that he might leave Chapel Hill and take the vacant job at Arkansas, his alma mater. Even though Davis vehemently denied the chatter, he still received an extra year and $291,000 more per season.Sexton is the coaching equivalent of sleazy, soul-patched pickup artists displaying “PUMA SKILLS“; there’s nothing to see here except posturing and possibly a Nutt contract extension.

The picture referenced in the first link (which is at the top of this post) is a little disturbing, but does Sexton really deserve the “sleazy, soul-patched pickup artist” comparison?

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.

One reply on “Just The Thought Of Jimmy Sexton With A Soul-Patch”

I don’t know Sexton and I am sure he does not need me to defend him, but this criticism is out of line. Did Sexton create a market for his clients? No one is forcing schools – and their handful of wealthy boosters – to pay up to keep their coaches. If they believe Sexton is bluffing, they should call his bluff.

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