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NFL Agent’s Pitch To Players And Joint Representation Of Jim Harbaugh

Jack Bechta should be praised for opening up a lot of his practice for the world to understand how he recruits and maintains his clientele (even though he recently ignored my multiple requests for information regarding the representation of coach Jim Harbaugh up until yesterday, but I will get into that story later in this article).  Recently, Bechta wrote about his practice of making a pitch to athletes bound for the draft.  And I give him major kudos for writing the following line -“The fact is that, players make agents, agents don’t make players.”

Thus far, I am aware of Bechta securing the right to represent tight-end Will Yeatman from the University of Maryland.  Yeatman is not highly coveted, and currently is projected to go undrafted, but that can certainly change with a good Pro Day and/or Combine performance.

Bechta likely picked a place familiar to Yeatman, where there were few distractions, to make his pitch to the TE.  The fact that Yeatman is from San Diego, California probably played in Bechta’s favor, as he is based in the same city.  Thus, it is likely that Bechta did not even have to fly out to Maryland to make his pitch.

Back to Harbaugh.  Bechta used to make a point to let the world know that he represented Jim Harbaugh.  When the entire world wanted to know what Harbaugh would do after Stanford beat Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, Bechta did not say a peep about Harbaugh.  He also refused to answer any questions about who was Harbaugh’s agent of record.  Many people speculated that Harbaugh switched from Bechta to David Dunn of Athletes First roughly a month prior to the Orange Bowl victory.  But then this article explained that Harbaugh was actually being represented by Bechta and Dunn – competing agents – at the same time.  It appears that Bechta was designated as Harbaugh’s rep for negotiations concerning Stanford and Dunn was handling all negotiations with NFL teams.

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.

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