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NFL Agents Have Been Getting Very Little Sleep

I know a lot of agents who love to boast about the fact that they rarely, if ever, get any sleep.  In fact, my friend Mook Williams of National Sports Management made his Facebook profile name, Mook NoSleepneeded Williams.

Judy Battista of the New York Times recently wrote an article titled, Sleep? For N.F.L. Agents, the Action Is Nonstop.  In that article, Battista mentioned David Canter, who can operate on 45 minutes of sleep (and is being talked about by many in the business after negotiating a whopper of a deal for client Eric Weddle), the CAA Football duo of Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, who have the daunting task of representing 5 first rounders in addition to Antonio Cromartie, Peyton Manning, and Nnamdi Asomugha (imagine how much time they spent on Asomugha alone!), and Joel Segal of Lagardere Unlimited, who summed up last week with the line, “Literally, no sleep!”

For more reading on the hectic weeks of various agents:

  • Rick Reilly sat on Peter Schaffer’s stool for an entire day [NFL back in business].  Check out the blurb from 1:41 p.m.  4:03 p.m. blurb = Swedish hookers?  I have my guess of the agent.  I’ll keep it to myself.
  • Andrew Astleford tracked down Harold Lewis’ every move at his agency’s offices in a mansion [A day in the life of an NFL agent].
  • And a story we linked to in last week’s Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up, GQ’s 72-hour binge with David Canter [An Insider’s Look at the NFL Free Agent Frenzy].

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 “NFL Agents Have Been Getting Very Little Sleep”

So true. I’ve been talking to many of the top agents and they are overwhelmed. ..in a good way. Believe it or not, my past couple weeks has looked eerily similar.

So true. I’ve been talking to many of the top agents and they are overwhelmed. ..in a good way. Believe it or not, my past couple weeks has looked eerily similar.

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