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.
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Yesterday was an eventful day for one Drew Rosenhaus. He was fired by a client, re-signed a client who had fired him in the past, and negotiated a contract extension for one of his current clients…all in one day. But such is a normal day for Rosenhaus (minus the firing).
2 replies on “Rosenhaus Fired, Hired, And Busy”
Boldin has been a client of Rosenhaus Sports since he entered the league in 2003. In 2005, Rosenhaus renegotiated Boldin’s contract with the Cardinals, and that deal still has two years remaining. Boldin is due to receive roughly $6 million in base salary over the next two years, but there have been reports of him demanding as much as $10 million a year, equivalent to fellow Cardinal’s receiver Larry Fitzgerald (Rosenhaus denies this figure though).
An annoucement of his new representation should be coming soon, as the NFLPA requires a player wait 5 days before signing a new agent after firing an old one. Those named on the short list of possible replacements for Rosenhaus include Kennard McGuire, Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, Eugene Parker, and Paul Lawrence. No matter which agent that Boldin ends up hiring, he will definitely be a huge signing for any agency. This goes to show that even the best agents lose top clients at times.
People need fact checkers! It has been widely reported that Rosenhaus has repped Q since his draft, but this is inaccurate. Drew signed him right before renegotiating his current deal.
The problem here is that Drew does this with many of his players. He takes them from other agents in the middle of a long-term contract, convinces them their deal is bad, and then renegotiates the contract. Yet he has no leverage when renegotiating a deal with 2 or 3+ years remaining. He does this to get a big, phony number to report to the media (when in reality, much of that money was already coming to the player under the old deal) and then in turn sign more clients; in reality, the deals are often bad for the player. For example, Q making in the $5m/yr range right now given the WR market at $10m/yr at the top. Ask Chad Johnson how he likes that contract Drew negotiated.
The word I hear tonight is that Boldin is leaning toward Condon and Dogra of CAA Sports.
Boldin just wants to get the money he feels he's worth. He thought Rosenhaus always would do that for him but he hasn't. Boldin is a team first player who is as tough and hard working as anybody..his reputation is too pure for rosenhaus to be his agent anyway…
He is now a Condon client. Excellent choice.