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Headline NFL Players Sports Business

Sports International Group (SIG) Acquires Integrated Sports Management to Form SIG Football

Sports International Group, Inc. (SIG), a Maryland based-sports agency specializing in basketball player representation, has acquired Nashville-based football agency Integrated Sports Management.

SIG has placed many men’s basketball players with teams outside of the United States.  Michael Lelchitski, SIG’s Men’s Basketball Executive Director, represents two players that were selected in the 2011 NBA Draft – Ater Majok of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chukwudiebere Maduabum of the Denver Nuggets.  SIG also represents a number of women’s basketball players,  including Team USA Olympians Candace Parker, Angel McCoughtry and All-Stars Crystal Langhorne and Cappie Pondexter.

As part of the acquisition of Integrated Sports Management, football agent Chad Wiestling will become the head of the newly created SIG Football, and will oversee all football-related operations.  “We are very excited to announce the expansion of our brand into the NFL market, as well as the arrival of Chad Wiestling to head the project,” said SIG President and CEO Boris Lelchitski. “Chad has a great reputation throughout the NFL, as well as extensive experience on both the front office and player representation sides of the business.”

Wiestling brings his current NFL clients, including New England Patriots’ 2012 second round pick Tavon Wilson and New York Jets’ 2011 first round pick Muhammad Wilkerson, to SIG Football.  “Sports Group International, Inc. is a leader in representing basketball players,” offered Wiestling.  “I am extremely excited to be a part of bringing their success and professionalism to the world of professional football.”

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.