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On To The Next One: Jason Heyward

Over the past few years, Career Sports Entertainment, re-branded as CSE, has seemed to focus less on the representation of athletes with regards to their contractual negotiations, and more on assisting major brands in their sponsorship initiatives, aiding television networks with content and production, and providing full service support to sports properties.  However, the company’s client representation division has continued to thrive, with the Atlanta Braves’ Jason Heyward becoming the face of their player representation business.  The following image appeared on CSE’s “Individuals” page as of May 8, 2011:

Yet, Heyward is no longer a client of the sports & entertainment company.  As reported by Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Heyward has dropped CSE as his agents and will likely sign with Casey Close, who has recently gone from being an agent at Creative Artists Agency to joining Jeff Schwartz at Excel Sports Management.  It is assumed that Heyward chose to make the switch because of Victor Menocal’s departure from CSE in April 2011.  Menocal first started at CSE in the Summer of 2005, when I was interning for the Atlanta, Georgia based company.

This is what Heyward stated to Bowman:

“Right now, my only reason for doing this was to get a fresh start. I know there are some things changing around there. Victor left, and that was totally unexpected. But some other people left also as far as in marketing and [public relations] and things like that. I figured this is only Year 2 of my career. I figured if I was going to start fresh, I need to start fresh completely and give myself a chance that I can count on to be there consistently for my whole career.”

This is a huge blow to CSE’s baseball division.  Not only do they lose a player who is destined to earn ridiculous money throughout his career, but Heyward also could have been used as a major benefit in the recruitment of future clients.  Instead, rival agents will use Heyward’s quote, above, against CSE on the recruitment trail.  Last year, Baseball America named Heyward the Rookie of the Year in the National League.  He has not yet reached arbitration eligibility; CSE will lose out on a lot in future commissions.

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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