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Alvin Keels And Corporate Athletic Management Join Forces

Earlier this week, it was reported that Alvin Keels, a young (early thirties) and successful NFL agent who was President of Global Management Group, merged with a new startup firm, Corporate Athletic Management.  Keels has a unique story.  He started his own agency at the age of twenty one and had a client drafted by the NFL one year later.

Keels got a lot of press on this website last year for his representation of Andre Smith.  Smith signed Keels, then fired him for Priority Sports, and then signed Keels back.  Rick Smith of Priority Sports was pissed.  The latest news on Keels is that he is in the process of trying to acquire a commission he believes he deserves, based on his representation of Larry Johnson when Johnson signed a contract with $19 million in guaranteed money before Keels dropped Johnson as a client (usually it is the other way around with an athlete dropping an agent).

Alvin Keels has had a lot of success in the world of athlete representation up to this point.  I find it interesting that he has decided to join forces with another agency.  I couldn’t find any information on Corporate Athletic Management, but even the NFLPA website lists Keels as a part of the company at this point.

Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal was able to figure out some additional pieces of the puzzle.  She says that Corporate Athletic Management is owned by a holding firm called Onyx Sports International, which based in Fairfield Connecticut.  Mullen also has information that Corporate Athletic Management is looking into growing its practice to represent athletes in other sports as well..

An interesting note – Lou Ceruzzi of Ceruzzi Sports and Entertainment Group, is a silent investor in Onyx.  The same Ceruzzi Sports that represents Jeff Pendergraph and was under investigation by the NBPA for donating $300,000 to the Southern California All-Stars AAU program in an attempt to represent Kevin Love.

Global Management Group’s website, http://gmgsports.com/, is no longer in service.  Keels is now a team player.

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.