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On To The Next One: Myron Rolle

At one point in Myron Rolle‘s college football campaign, he might have thought that he would be hearing his name tonight as a first round pick in the NFL Draft.  At the end of 2008, when many were wondering if Rolle would go pro or take up an offer to attend Oxford University, a lot of analysts had Rolle as the #1 strong safety available.  After Rolle chose to attend Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, I believed that Rolle would be an agent’s dream client.  When I found out that Leigh Steinberg sits on the board of directors for Myron Rolle’s nonprofit foundation, I figured Steinberg would be representing the Rhodes Scholar.  Rolle went ahead and signed with Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, and his primary agent became Jeremiah Donati.

A couple of weeks ago, Rolle dropped Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment for Joel Segal of BEST.  Rolle understood that it was his decision to attend Oxford and that if NFL scouts had a problem with that, he was the only person to blame for it.  However, Rolle didn’t think that only one team would attend his pre-Draft workout.  He also did not like the way that Steinberg & Co. were branding him.  Rolle was quoted as saying,

“They [Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment] tried to market me as the athletic (President) Obama, which was fine.  I feel that people who pick up on my story — teachers, children, peers, parents — they recognize that this young man’s a true student-athlete.”

Again, the problem was branding.  Rolle wants to be seen as a football player, not someone who is going to change the world outside of the football field (at least for now).  He is hoping that the switch to BEST will help people realize that all he cares about, right now, is adding value to a professional football team.

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.

12 replies on “On To The Next One: Myron Rolle”

It’s always the agent’s fault apparently??…forget that he ran an unimpressive 4.69 at the combine??! He may have been a top safety last year but that class was WEAK. Rolle could be a nice NFL player but he wont be going higher than the 4th round and he def is not in the class of berry, mays, and thomas this year…he’s too one dimensional

He’s not a cover safety thats for sure…having said that, teams wont take an “in the box” safety higher than 4th or 5th round…in Rolle’s defense he was never in coverage much at FSU…he was almost like a linebacker it seemed

Well Lee will get his money back, BEST sports lost and Tom Shaw is the only one that profited off of this deal! The trainers win every year! What a business!

read the comment. I said Lee will get his money back! either from the new agent or you sue the player.

I assume you mean “Leigh” as in Leigh Steinberg. You think that Segal will compensate Steinberg in any way? And what would his cause of action be against Rolle?

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i cant stop laughing that leigh is being reffered to as lee and he thinks that agents automatically compensate the other when an athlete switches as if it is common industry practice hahaha

Darren, I was unaware that some agents compensate their clients’ former agents? Is it just common courtesy or are their certain times where it is/isn’t appropriate? And how will BEST lose out because of this switch?

It is rare that an agent will compensate a client’s former agent. Sometimes it is done to avoid a lawsuit if there has been tampering. Sometimes it’s just common courtesy. But again, it is rare. I’m not sure how BEST loses. If Rolle excels, they will make some nice commissions on his 2nd contract. And because Rolle has a good head on his shoulders, I doubt we will see him make the news for the wrong reasons.

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