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Victor Cruz’s Agent Speaks About His Life As A Football Agent

New York Giants WR Victor Cruz has signed with Tom Condon of Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
New York Giants WR Victor Cruz is a client of Rodney Thomas and Dimensional Sports, Inc. (DSI).
New York Giants WR Victor Cruz is a client of Rodney Thomas and Dimensional Sports, Inc. (DSI).

“Founded by a team of professionals with over 40 years of combined experience in corporate finance, marketing, law, and sports, DSI understands the new opportunities and challenges that athletes have today.”  That’s how the second paragraph of Dimensional Sports, Inc.’s (DSI) “Who We Are” page on its website begins.

The company was co-founded by attorney Malik Shareef and equity trader Rodney Thomas, and has had a tremendous amount of success in a very short amount of time.  Among DSI’s notable clients are New York Giants WR Victor Cruz, St. Louis Rams CB Janoris Jenkins, and Arizona Cardinals RB Ryan Williams.  The duo also represent former FSU QB E.J. Manuel, who will be selected in the 2013 NFL Draft.

With so much success in the early stages of a start-up sports agency, it should not be a surprise that people want to speak to Shareef and Thomas to learn more about them and their practice.  Recently, The Information Age published an interview with Thomas, who is no slouch.  Thomas went to school at Harvard, where he played running back and earned a degree in Economics.  He later went to work on Wall Street.

Here are a couple paragraphs from the interview that caught my attention:

As a minority-owned agency, are you all experiencing the same struggles that minority prospects for coaching, GM and executive positions endure in professional sports?

As a minority in ANY field you have to be twice as good to compete. In the sports industry, you have to be three times as nice.  Sometimes, certain African-Americans believe that ”White is right”, and wisdom only comes with age. Being both young and black presents natural hurdles. Even with resumes as esteemed as ours, (DSI’s three partners have degrees from Harvard and UVA) we still have to consistently prove our worth by the work that we do for our clients. Even with 5 draft picks in 3 yrs and a top 10 pick, we still deal with constant push back. That reluctancy only makes us grind harder.

What’s one thing/task/item that comes along with the profession that most people wouldn’t consider or think of?

One thing that people don’t associate a lot with me and my profession is that a lot of times when it looks like agents are partying, they are usually working. Nightlife is a component of entertaining both potential and current clients. Personally, I prefer to be at home, but I have to do what’s needed to please the client. These athletes are very young, wealthy men that like to party. Therefore, there are a lot of nights out in the club!

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.