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University of Miami Comments on New Football Agent Policy

Yesterday, I published my first article at Forbes (I recently signed an agreement to become a Contributor for the magazine’s SportsMoney column).  The article is titled, University Of Miami Unveils Football Agent Policy Aimed At ‘Limiting Distractions’, and it looks at the recently implemented policy that attempts to restrict communication between football agents and football players at the school.

At the time of publishing, Chris Freet (Associate Director of Athletics for Communications for the University of Miami) did not have much to comment.  Since then, he has answered a couple of my questions, which follow:

Darren Heitner: I look at the NCAA planning on scrapping many of its social media policies that restrict recruiting communications between coaches and recruits.  They find enforcement of the current rules to be nearly impossible.  How do you plan to discover social media communication?  Will you require athletes to hand over passwords?
Chris Freet: Our policy will continue to evolve over time and we will adjust to legislation from the NCAA.  We do not currently have any plans to ask for passwords.
Heitner: Why choose this policy instead of doing an Agent Day and forming a Professional Sports Counseling Panel – inviting “Covered Individuals” on campus to speak to athletes?
Freet: We have and will continue to do educational seminars with teams and staff. For example, a rep from the NFLPA spoke to all of our players, a good number of the 2012 signees and many family members before our spring game this year.

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.