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Gary Wichard Is On Freaking Fire

When you hear the term “football agent”, you most likely conjure up images of Drew Rosenhaus, Tom Condon, or Leigh Steinberg.  Why not Gary Wichard?  Wichard is the man behind Pro Tect Management, a company that may not be heard about much in the media, but already has a very impressive client list.  I’m also impressed with Wichard’s choice of a URL for his company: “nothinbutfreaks.com”.

Wichard and Pro Tect Management represent Jason Taylor, Dwight Freeney, Terrell Suggs, Keith Bulluck, Antonio Cromartie, Elvis Dumervil, Darren Sproles…okay, I’ll stop now before I take up the entire post with their fantastic list of clients.  Wichard keeps these guys because he signs them to record deals.  It also helps him on the recruiting trail, which he is dominating so far in 2010.

Pro Tect Management is additionally benefited by the fact that it has been around for thirty years.  Wichard founded the company in 1980, after playing in the NFL himself.  It is not a huge firm with numerous employees and Wichard seems to restrict the number of players he takes in as clients.  It seems like a good strategy considering the fantastic names he has the opportunity to represent.

At this point, it is reported that Pro Tect Management has signed Arrelious Benn (Illlinois), Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame), Everson Griffen (USC), Taylor Mays (USC), and C.J. Spiller (Clemson).  All of them have a chance of being first round picks in the 2010 NFL Draft.  Is CAA watching?

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.

6 replies on “Gary Wichard Is On Freaking Fire”

Considering the Pro-tect offices are in Westlake Village, I’d hope they’d land Mr. Claussen. He went to HS right in their backyard at Oaks Christian! Congrats to them on their great success.

Hey Darren, want to potentially do a follow-up post to this? Maybe something with a title like “Too Good to be True?” or staying with the fire theme, “Where There’s Smoke, There’s Usually a Fire.”

Wichard is not on fire. He is a curse on playing good football.

Look at that marvelous job he did with Antonio Cromartie last year. His “guidance” enabled an incredible talent to turn on his dark side.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/jul/12/1s12chargers01169/?chargers

Jason Taylor? Has-been (unless you rate reality shows over football).

If you’re a football fan, you cringe when a player you like goes to this guy — or when you’re a fan of a team with a crucial player this guy represents.

Sproles? Disappointing season.

Dumerville? Let’s not even go there.

Wichard is a curse to playing good football.

But he did work well with Lohan. Perhaps he should put his focus back on that type of stuff and stop destroying football careers.

Players will realize this trend and Wichard’s flash-in-the-pan football career will be over.

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