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Football Agent Benjamin Geller Could Face Up To 20 Years In Prison, Fine of $250,000

Constraints on the amount of fees football agents can receive based on the successful negotiation of contracts with professional NFL teams make it rather difficult for many agents to make a decent living in the business.  Add the financial obligations concerning pre-Draft training and cost of living, and an agent’s financial situation can become even more suspect.  However, this does not give agents a right to skirt the law and earn money off of their clients through illegal means.  According to a recent report, that may be the case concerning football agent Benjamin Geller, who has recently been charged with wire fraud.

The specifics of the situation involve Geller allegedly stealing roughly $500,000 from one of his deceased client’s life insurance policy.  The deceased player is Frank Warren, who was a defensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints from 1981-1994.  Warren passed away at the young age of 43 due to the suffering of a heart attack.

According to the report, Geller helped Warren with the securing of his life insurance policy in 1994, right around the time that Warren retired from the NFL.  The proceeds of the policy were supposed to go into a trust to benefit Warren’s surviving family.  Geller was the trustee.

If Geller is found guilty of using a large chunk of the proceeds from the trust for his personal benefit, he could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

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.