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The NFLPA Provides “The Economic Truth About The New NFL CBA”

There are plenty of great gatherings of Sports Law professionals and students interested in Sports Law, but year after year, the best event is the annual Sports Lawyers Association conference.  This year’s conference was held last week in San Diego, California.

The NFL Players Association typically holds its Certified Contract Advisor Session just prior to the “Breakout Sessions.”  I put forth my best efforts to get inside of the session, even though I am not certified as a Contract Advisor by the NFLPA (nor do I have any desire to be).  Unfortunately, the lady at the desk in front of the room denied my entrance (and she was not very nice about it, either).

Anyhow, I was able to get my hands on a document that the NFLPA handed out to its Contract Advisors at the meeting (a scanned copy of the document is embedded at the bottom of this post).  Titled, “The Economic Truth About The New NFL CBA,” the document provides bullet-points containing the “hard economic facts,” which are meant to reassure Contract Advisors that the players’ representatives (the union) did a good job at the bargaining table.

Basically, the NFLPA states that teams are spending more money on players (in cash and benefits), which includes an increase in the percentage of guaranteed money.  The guaranteed money increase appeared to be so significant that the NFLPA printed the same information in two separate bullet-points.

2012 SLA NFLpa Meeting Handout

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.