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Commenting On Athletes’ Facebook Walls

I am a week late on this story, but here is an interesting find about a sports agent posting a comment on a college football player’s wall who still has a year of eligibility left.  Chris Camper wrote on Antonio Brown‘s wall saying, “Next big step… Junior Pro Day, the official start to your path to the draft.”  The article states that Camper works for Oracle Sports Management L.L.C.  In fact, according to Camper’s LinkedIn page, he is the Owner & Chief Negotiator of the company.  I could not find an actual website for Oracle.

The article goes on to say,

For those of you wondering if its ethical for agents to be talking to players before their season is finished — it’s perfectly legal and just part of the game. The NCAA has no problem with sports agents using social networking tools.

While it is true that the NCAA has no problem with Camper’s action, it is important to remember that the NCAA is not the only body that regulates the sports agent profession.  Agents need also be concerned with state and federal statutes.  Importantly, states that have signed onto the UAAA prohibit an agent from initiating contact with a student-athlete unless registered with those states.  Interestingly, Michigan is 1 of 3 states that have existing, non-UAAA laws designed to regulate athlete agents.

So Camper should be fine, but had he or another agent written the same message on an athlete’s wall in another state bound by the UAAA (or a variation thereof), a picky regulating body could take action against that agent.

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.

3 replies on “Commenting On Athletes’ Facebook Walls”

Good point, although I think to be more precise, what would happen is that a rival agent would report the violator to the state’s regulating body. The states are too cash-strapped to do proactive enforcement, as far as I can tell.

Student athlete and agent relationships need to be totally reworked by the NCAA. Whatever it is that they’re currently trying to do just isn’t effective at all.

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