Per an article in the Madison Record by Heather Isringhausen Gvillo, Reginald Blackwell, a sports agent, plans on counter-suing Madison (Illinois) County attorney, Michael R. Bilbrey, who accused him of using investment money for personal expenditures.
Bilbrey operates the Law Offices of Michael R. Bilbrey in Edwardsville, IL and filed a three-count complaint against Blackwell on November 14, 2014. Bilbrey claims that Blackwell approached him and promised to provide sports agent services to professional athletes, to which he contributed the necessary capital for Blackwell’s venture. However, after making his investment, Bilbrey learned that Blackwell was not a certified agent, therefore not able to represent athletes as he promised.
Blackwell stated that he did not lose his certification, but voluntarily chose not to renew it with the NFLPA. This led Bilbrey to believe that Blackwell used the funds for his own personal expenditures, including alleged recruiting trips, games, and personal visits with clients.
Blackwell plans on filing a countersuit against Bilbrey, due to the fact that Bilbrey is a lawyer and it would be “extremely difficult to pull off” these allegations.
Although many aspire to be a sports agent, not everyone will be or is able to. This by no means is an excuse to acquire capital to fund one’s pipe dream in an unlawful way. Many times we hear about the foul play within the representation side of the business, but those who operate in an ethical manner rarely get the spotlight. As aspiring sports agents and executives we should aim to change that pattern.
3 replies on “Sports Agent Files Counter-Suit Against Attorney”
What’s unethical about spending investment money on recruiting trips, games, and personal visits with clients? How else do you obtain clients?
The investment money must be kept separate. You use your own business funds to build your business. The fees you earn on the investment can flow to the business and can be used for business purposes. The fees must be agreed upon in advance and are disclosed in the prospectus for the investment. Co-mingling funds is a definite no-no.
As a businessman,that invests in other businesses,why didn’t he do Step 1? Always investigate the One who’s going to/asks for your money,since 7f he had,no lawsuit would’ve been needed. He would’ve found out this man wasn’t, at tge time,aCertified NFL Agent. Oh well,this shows even if you are a fan, business should come first.