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On To The Next One: Ben Tate

The NFL has become a league of teams that choose to run the ball by committee – rarely will a team rest all of its running success on one running back.  This has allowed many “second options” to gain prominence, including Ben Tate of the Houston Texans.

Tate was selected by the Texans in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft after he had a successful campaign at Auburn University.  He suffered a broken right ankle in his rookie year, but bounced back in 2011 to gain just shy of 1,000 yards on the ground.  The Texans are again relying on Tate to produce for the team.

Unfortunately for C. Lamont Smith of All Pro Sports & Entertainment (APSE), Tate is no longer a client.  According to Neil Stratton at InsideTheLeague.com, Tate recently left APSE for Athletes First.  As our 2010 NFL Draft Pick/Agent Selection Master List shows, Tate was an APSE client when he was drafted, but as Stratton explains, Tate was actually signed to Allegiant Athletic Agency (a3) prior to the Draft.  So Tate is on to his third agency before he signs his second NFL contract.

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.