“Agents can build expectations so high they can’t be met.” That’s what attorney Bret Adams said in an interview 10 years ago for an article that highlighted how he lucked into his practice of representing coaches, media personalities and artists in contract negotiations.
10 years later and attorney Adams is suing one of his more prominent clients — longtime NBA coach George Karl. The Columbus Business First has reported that Adams (a Columbus attorney) filed a lawsuit against Karl on the grounds that Karl has improperly withheld fees due to Adams based on their contractual agreement.
Sports Agent Blog has accessed the Complaint filed on September 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The Complaint, which is barely 4 pages in length, says that the contractual agreement between Karl and Adams stipulates that Karl is to pay Adams a stipend of $10,000 per month and required Karl to grant Adams “new business opportunities” through introductions and referrals to other coaches in need of representation.
Adams alleges that he is entitled to payments through the 2018 NBA season, which would turn out to be hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation. The Complaint states that Karl stopped paying Adams this January.
Maybe Adams built his expectations too high in this case.
One reply on “NBA Coach George Karl Sued By Agent For Not Making $10,000 Monthly Payments”
Beneficial agreement for agents representing coaches. I can see why he would want to enforce it