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Headline NFL Players Sports Business

The Rookie Financial Handbook

Last Friday, Marc Isenberg contributed a great piece to Sports Agent Blog concerning his Do It Yourself Rookie Symposium.  Based on the fact that the NFL rookie symposium is cancelled this year, Isenberg has offered to provide a free copy of his Go Pro Like a Pro booklet to any NFL draftee, undrafted free agent, and will even provide it free of charge to current NFL veterans.

Upon publishing Marc’s post, I received an email from John Hanselman at NCompass Financial, who also has some free literature to share with rookies who unfortunately do not get to experience the rookie symposium because of the lingering lockout.  His booklet is titled, The Rookie Financial Handbook, and I have embedded it at the bottom of this post for all to peruse.

Also a short read, Hanselman’s handbook discusses communications with a Certified Public Accountant after a player signs his first professional contract, considering personal disability insurance, benefits of renting instead of buying property, carving out a 5-10% after tax “fun money” allowance, proper budgeting, developing a financial roadmap, and estate planning.

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.