Might one of the 37 agents registered in the State of Oregon be in trouble? Or does the current investigation by Oregon’s Department of Justice involve a non-registered agent illegally recruiting student-athletes within the state’s borders? The world may never know, since the DoJ’s spokesman refuses to mention the name of the agent under investigation, and we all know how few times these investigations actually result in any penalty being handed out. In fact, Oregon has never penalized an agent since its Uniform Athlete Agent Act was put into action.
But as is the case with many legislators in other states and at the federal level, Oregon has its members of Congress who are proposing changes to athlete agent laws and their enforcement. Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney wants Oregon to send a message. His aim is to strengthen the existing Oregon UAAA statute by,
- Broadening the definition of sports agent to include contract advisors, financial planners, marketing representatives, runners or any staff member who is employed or associated with a firm who represents any individual in the marketing of his or her athletic ability or reputation;
- Mandating that, in addition to registering with the State of Oregon, that sports agents must register (at no cost) with compliance office or official at each respective institution where the agent wishes to contact student athletes;
- Including elementary schools and high schools among those covered in the athlete agent law;
- And making it illegal for sports agents to provide benefits indirectly to student-athletes through friends or family members.
And best of all, Courtney recognizes that if the new initiative were to pass, it would mean absolutely nothing without proper enforcement. Let’s see what kind of support Courtney has when he proposes the new legislation, and if he can pull through with his plans for increased enforcement.
