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Catching Up With Ralph Cindrich’s 2012 NFL Draft Class

Yesterday, I reported on Jeff Sperbeck’s 2012 NFL Draft Class at The NOVO Agency.  Sperbeck has signed RB LaMichael James from Oregon and WR Nick Toon from Wisconsin.  Toon is being co-represented by Ralph Cindrich.

Cindrich is a member of the Texas and Pennsylvania bar.  He was a 1972 5th round NFL draft choice and played professional football with the Houston Oilers and the New England Patriots for four years from 1972 to 1975.  He also played collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh where he was a two-sport All-American and All-East in football (1969, 1971) and wresting (Eastern Champion, 4th NCAA, 1969).  Cindrich started representing players in 1977, and still represents NFL players to this day.

Other than Toon, Cindrich is representing WR/Special Teams player TJ Borcky of Colorado State and LB Andrew Sweat of THE Ohio State University.  Toon is the highest rated player of the three, but Cindrich is likely representing all three players in large part based on his ties to their family members.  These days, Cindrich seems to be doing more teaching, lawyering, and tweeting than agenting.  I wish him the best with his three new clients.

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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