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No New NFL Agents In 2011

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) issued the following notice yesterday, December 22, 2010:

NEW APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!!!!

As you are aware, the NFLPA/NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire on March 3, 2011, at the conclusion of the 2010 NFL Season. While the parties to the CBA have been working tirelessly on a new CBA, a new agreement has not yet been reached. Because of the uncertain circumstances surrounding the CBA and the possibility of a lockout of our players by the NFL and its clubs after the expiration of the CBA, the NFLPA has determined that it would be inappropriate to allow new Contract Advisors to become Certified at this time. Therefore, please be advised that we will not accept any new Applications for Certification until further notice. In addition, this also applies to those applicants who were scheduled to re-take the New Agent Exam in 2011. You should consult our website periodically for any change to this policy.

The bold and underline did not stress the point to me, but the four exclamation marks certainly drove it home.

Traditionally, the NFLPA allows people interested in becoming NFLPA Contract Advisors to apply for certification at any time in the month of January.  There are no opportunities outside of January to submit an application.  In 2011, it seems as though there will be absolutely no window to apply.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.

2 replies on “No New NFL Agents In 2011”

SINCE THERE WILL BE NO CONTRACT THIS MEANS THAT THE nflpa HAS NO CONTROL OVER WHO REPRESENTS WHOM AS THEY NO LONGER WILL BE THE SOLE BARGAINING AGENT FOR PLAYERS AND PROSPECTIVE PLAYERS, INFORM ME IS THIS IS INCORRECT!

No new agents = antitrust violation. The policy is protecting the existing group of agents and hurting the market.

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