SPORTS AGENT BLOG

Showing you the money since 2005.

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-up (10/7/2016)

Post author By Darren Heitner
Post date October 7, 2016

I am putting together this article a day early and scheduling it to post on 10/7 in the case that I do not have power after Hurricane Matthew comes through Florida. Scored a couple of suite tickets to the FSU vs. UM game, so hopefully the storm doesn’t put an end to what would otherwise be a very fun event. But most importantly, I hope everyone that has had the storm come through their areas is safe and those waiting for the storm to arrive be safe throughout.

This week on Forbes:
(1) This Week In Sports Law: Redskins Trademark Update, Dez Bryant Settles, Concussions To SCOTUS?;
(2) Supreme Court Punts On Redskins Trademark And NCAA Athlete Pay Cases;
(3) Sharapova Suspension Reduced Because She Was Not An Intentional Doper; and
(4) Oddsmakers Begin Creating Lines For Drone Racing

And as always, the weekly wrap-up:

Football

My analysis of NFL agent/player data [Twitter].
Many of the incentives in his contract were practically impossible to achieve [Ricky Williams’s Awful NFL Contract Never Gave Him A Chance].

Basketball

Talks have gone to a new level since the Pistons hired veteran agent Arn Tellem [Report: Pistons in ‘serious talks’ to move team to Detroit].

Soccer

Agent Pino Pagliara previously was banned for five years after being found guilty of match-fixing [Football agent lied to Telegraph investigators].
A player allegedly told an agent to remortgage his house because the odds were favorable [Exclusive: Harry Redknapp reveals how his players illicitly gambled on their own result: ‘They’d all had a bet on the game’].

Tags arn tellem, Pino Pagliara, ricky williams

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.