Categories
Contract Negotiation Headline Sports Business

United Football League Player Contract Update

Update (7:18 a.m. 4/14/2011): Very late last night, the UFL scrapped the reserve list idea.  However, teams had spent the last 2 days putting together such lists under the assumption that they would become effective today.  In any case, it will not become a reality…at least for the meantime.

Update (5:17 p.m. 4/14/2011): The UFL has once again switched course.  The league has once again decided to go forward with a reserve list.  Teams have until tomorrow morning to turn in their respective lists.

Yesterday I was informed that the United Football League (UFL) abruptly decided to give each of its five member teams ten “reserve” spots.  Each of those teams will have until the end of the day tomorrow to pick ten players that they will have the exclusive right to sign.  If any individual player is selected to a reserve spot by more than one team, the player and his agent get to break the tie and pick the team to which the player will be reserved.

The only players eligible for the reserve lists are free agents.  College players do not apply.

The 2011 UFL Draft is scheduled to occur in early May, following the 2011 NFL Draft.

Word has floated that the standard UFL player salary will be $5,000 per game in 2011.  This is a far cry from the $50,000 players earned for playing eight weeks of football in 2010.  However, quarterbacks will get $5,000 per game, plus an additional $12,500 if they start the game.  Of course, there is an exception, and his name is Daunte Culpepper.  Last year, Culpepper signed what is believed to be the only two-year UFL deal, and will be earning quite a bit more than his UFL brethren.

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.

2 replies on “United Football League Player Contract Update”

I got this call from another agent yesterday freakin out. I’m only repping 3 guys eligible for NFl / UFL draft so doesn’t affect me this year. Keep us posted on that UFL draft date!

There will be potential strong value for the UFL with those players who go undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft. Typically there is a flurry of activity after the NFL Draft with teams trying to sign undrafted players, but this year that won’t be an option without a new CBA before the draft.

I’m not expecting a USFL/NFL bidding war situation anytime soon, but for the UFL this could be a nice way to boost rosters with inexpensive but nonetheless talented young players.

Comments are closed.