Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.
Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.
Once again, it’s time for the annual tradition of identifying the agents selected by the players chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft. This compilation is based on information gathered from industry sources and public reports. As always, there may be inaccuracies due to the fluid nature of agent-player relationships. Below is the […]
A new player-agent dispute has emerged in the basketball world, with Hazan Sports Management Group Inc. (HSM) filing a complaint against Detroit Pistons shooting guard Malik Beasley in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract related to an exclusive marketing agreement and seeks damages in […]
On August 22, I wrote about Excel Sports Management’s lawsuit against media talent agents Gideon Cohen, William Petok, and Katherine Cutler, who were formerly employed by Excel but left to work with Athletes First. Excel complained that the former employees breached their employment contracts’ restrictive covenants and that they sought to solicit Excel clients. Sometimes, […]
Excel Sports Management has filed a lawsuit against media talent agents Gideon Cohen, William Petok, and Katherine Cutler. The case was initiated on August 20, 2024, and is pending in New York state court. The Complaint alleges that Cohen, Petok, and Cutler, who were employed by Excel, breached their employment contracts when they left Excel […]
Veteran agent Mark Termini and his company Mark Termini Associates Inc. have initiated a lawsuit against Klutch Sports Group, LLC and Rich Paul in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The plaintiffs claim that they negotiated more than $1.4 billion in contracts for Klutch clients and they want the commissions they […]
Welcome to another year of providing the player/agent pairings as well as some notes for those selected in the NBA Draft. Notes Round 1
On May 16, 2024, Diamond Sports, LLC, doing business as Rimas Sports, initiated a federal lawsuit against the Major League Baseball Players Association in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. A Verified Complaint and Motion for Temporary Restraining Order (TRO)/Preliminary Injunction were filed. One day later, the Court denied the request […]
Welcome to another year of providing the player/agent pairings as well as some notes for those selected in the NFL Draft. Notes Round 1
On December 28, 2023, Arbitrator Roger P. Kaplan handed down one of the strongest decisions ever issued in the National Football League Players Association’s (NFLPA) history. Arbitrator Kaplan ordered that NFLPA Contract Advisor Todd France pay France’s competitor, Jason Bernstein, a total of $810,846.47, with $450,000 as punitive damages. The basis for the punitive damages […]
Welcome to another year of providing the player/agent pairings as well as some notes for those selected in the NBA Draft. Notes Round 1 Round 2