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College Football All-Star Game Solicits Players Who Have Not Made It To The NFL Or CFL

The ProGrass International Scout Bowl seeks to give football players an opportunity to display their skills for alternate leagues.
The ProGrass International Scout Bowl seeks to give football players an opportunity to display their skills for alternate leagues.
The ProGrass International Scout Bowl seeks to give football players an opportunity to display their skills for alternate leagues.

There are currently no shortage of college football All-Star games available to graduating seniors who hope to show off their skills in front of professional football scouts.  The most respected game is the Senior Bowl, followed by the East-West Shrine Game.  Others include the NFLPA Game, Casino del Sol College All-Star Game and the Raycom College Football All-Star Classic.

The vast majority of All-Star games are held in January, prior to college Pro Days and the annual NFL Scouting Combine.  However, a new event has arrived, which will take place on March 15, 2013 at Braly Stadium on the University of North Alabama Campus in Florence, Alabama.  It has been named the ProGrass International Scout Bowl.

The ProGrass International Scout Bowl says that it will take the top 70 prospects from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe that did not make it to the NFL or CFL and give them a “2nd chance” to show they have what it takes to play professional football.  The odd part about that claim is that the NFL Draft does not occur until April 25.  Thus, unless the new Bowl game will not be admitting any draft eligible prospects, the criteria does not make 100% sense.

The organizers of the ProGrass International Scout Bowl have stated that each participating team will be coached by a staff comprised of former NFL and NCAA Division 1 coaching legends and that it will be nationally televised to give each prospect top exposure.

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.