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Friday Wrap-Up Headline

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-up (2/20/2015)

Post author By Darren Heitner
Post date February 20, 2015

Going to recruit Alabama players? There's a new man in charge of enforcing the state's Athlete Agent Act.

Going to recruit Alabama players? There's a new man in charge of enforcing the state's Athlete Agent Act. — Going to recruit Alabama players? There’s a new man in charge of enforcing the state’s Athlete Agent Act.

Shalom ladies and gentlemen! My text has been absent from this website, but that does not mean I have not been keeping a close watch of all happenings. First of all, a major thanks goes out to Cameron Chung, who has been leading the charge at Sports Agent Blog, pumping out content and leading the other contributors. Those contributors, including D’Bria Bradshaw, Chris Lesley, Zach Seybert, Steven Swick, Colt Sells and others have been instrumental in Sports Agent Blog‘s recent growth. Thanks to each and every one of them. The site is nearing a total of 5 million unique visits since its creation on December 31, 2005 and has almost made it to 10 million page views. That means my final thanks is to you for either coming to this website for the first time or being a repeat visitor. This week on FORBES: (1) Sparkling ICE And Kevin Durant Take Over New York For NBA All-Star Week; (2) Startup Sports Agency Sending Six Clients To NFL Combine; (3) The Economics Of A Top NFL Combine Training Facility; and (4) ESPN’s Partnership With Fidelity Investments Ties Wall Street With Sports Trade Deadlines. And as always, the weekly wrap-up:

Football

A nice piece on my friend Buddy Baker [Behind the scenes with Indy sports agent before NFL Scouting Combine].
Said the most important skill he could pass on is “psychology” [Legendary sports agent Leigh Steinberg speaks at USC].
No shortage of teams would be interested in him [Agent’s Take: Why Peyton has leverage if Broncos ask for pay cut].

Baseball

Jay Z is a certified MLBPA agent…still not sure this is news [Jay Z reportedly thought David Wells was Curt Schilling at ‘SNL 40’].

Golf

One of my mentors coming to town to talk about leadership [Sports agent Molly Fletcher to keynote executive women’s day at Honda Classic].

Sports Law

You don’t mess with Alabama [State Rep. Jack Williams to chair Alabama Athlete Agents Commission].

Tags buddy baker, Jay-z, leigh steinberg, Molly Fletcher, peyton manning

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.