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Headline Retirement Sports Agents

Willis & Woy Care About Life Beyond Football

Tomorrow, February 4th, many people in Dallas, TX will attend the Dallas Superbash 2011 Super Bowl Party hosted by Pamela Anderson.  The party is presented by NFL agency, Willis & Woy Sports Group, LLC.  While there will be plenty of partying and celebrating on site, when the event is over, Jordan Woy and Chad Willis will go back to negotiating contracts and securing sponsorships for their clients.  They will also focus on building their program titled, Life Beyond Football.

Life Beyond Football is a program that was developed to help football players make a successful transition from playing professionally to performing well in business off of the field.  A large component of Life Beyond Football is networking retreats, which allows football players to meet successful business professionals in a relaxed environment.

It is great to see an agency take an active role in the future success of its clients.  Many agents could care less about their clients after they retire from the sports they play, as the agents are not likely to earn any commissions at that point in time.  It is a very selfish attitude that unfortunately persists amongst many in the business.  We all know about the 80% of NFL players who are divorced, bankrupt, or out of work within 2 years of hanging up their cleats.  Agencies should follow the lead of Willis & Woy and do their best to aid their clients for life.

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.