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Headline MLB Players Sports Law

Former Baseball Players Including Goose Gossage Want Money From Venezuelan Baseball Fan Fest

A Venezuelan company named Hablemos de Beisbol Magazine and Foundation, run by Omar Gelvis (@Omarcito13 on Twitter), coordinated a Baseball All Star Fan Fest comprising modern Major League Baseball players, retired Hall of Famers, and baseball legends in Maracaibo from December 12-16, 2011.  The event received a great deal of press in Venezuela.  Autograph tickets were sold and a celebrity softball game occurred where more tickets were sold.  However, according to attorney/player agent Dan Rosquete of Boston Sports Counsel, the players involved in the event were taken advantage of and not compensated properly for their participation in the events.

Several baseball legends were invited and contracted to attend, but Rosquete alleges that the poor organization by Gelvis led to many of the players backing out.  Former players anticipated to attend included Gaylord Perry, Pete Rose, Ken Griffey Sr, Ferguson Jenkins and several others.  Rosquete says that unfortunately, several players stayed true to their word and went to the event only to be subjected to continual lies, deception, and eventually nonpayment of their appearance fees and costs associated with flying to Venezuela.  These players include Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers, and Juan Marichal.

As a result of these events and aside from the mental stress that was caused, the aforementioned Dan Rosquete has been retained to represent these players against Hablemos de Beisbol in hopes of recouping some of the players’ losses and appearance fees.  Rosquete has also retained the help of a local attorney in Venezuela to aid him in the civil breach of contract case, which Rosquete believes may in turn become a criminal case as well.

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.