Last night on ESPN’s Outside The Lines, the agent situation for three athletes was examined. These 3 topics were discussed: 1. Vince Young’s selection of Major Adams as his agent 2. Lance Berkman’s original selection of his father as his agent 3. The agent selection process for Jonathan Vilma 1. Vince Young’s selection of Major […]
Author: 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.
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Follow Up On CAA
I stumbled upon a very interesting article over at the LA Weekly titled: Oh Shit! The Vultures Are Circling, which digs deeper into the Steinberg/Creative Artists Agency/Matt Leinart controversy. If you are interested in the issue, the history of CAA, or want a good read, go check it out. Here is a little snippet from […]
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Leinart Ditches Steinberg
After originally hiring Leigh Steinberg as his agent, Matt Lienart has decided to choose a different entity to represent him for the upcoming NFL Draft. Creative Artists Agency will have the duty of making sure that Leinart is a top choice in this year’s draft. This is an interesting selection, because while Create Artists Agency […]
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Some Sports Law Rules
While catching up on some of the posts in the blogs I most commonly read, I stumbled across two excellent articles from the Sports Law Blog: New Sports Law Program at FCSL & Breaking Into the Sports Law Industry How Do I get a Job in Sports Law? (Continued) In an effort to summarize both […]
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Gator Bait!
I am back from Indianapolis, and I brought home the National Championship with me. I cannot begin to explain how amazing the experience was. In addition, I was fortunate enough to come home with pink eye in both of my eyes and a piercing pain in my throat (but that’s just the side-effects of glory). […]
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UAAA Contract Question
I forgot that reader Sokki Chen asked me two questions for a long time, but somehow remembered today that I never got around to answering the 2nd question. If you are interested in reviewing the post that I made concerning Sokki’s first question, Can Olympic/Student Athletes Obtain Endorsements?, you may do so by clicking the […]
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Agent Spotlight: Jeff Chilcoat
While Jeff Chilcoat is the least acclaimed Sports Agent that I have covered so far, his story is one that all future and current agents should become aware of. As President of Sterling Sports Management (I added their link to the list of Sports Agency sites today), Chilcoat never cared about gaining publicity. Instead, he […]
Looking back to a post that I made on January 5th titled Come Back to Texas, I am pretty happy with my assessment that Florida and Texas are two of the premier sports schools in the country. While Texas did not sweep the three major sports, they came pretty damn close. Making the Elite Eight […]
Like an NFL Franchise Tag, an NFL Transition Tag may be used on one player per team each year. Also, the tag may be used on either a restricted or unrestricted free agent. In the last year of each Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team may choose to place a Transition Tag on 2 players (in […]
So you hear about them all the time before the start of new NFL seasons, but do you actually know the definition of an NFL Franchise Tag? If not, this post should shed some light on the issue. Each year, an NFL team may designate one of its impending Free Agent’s to be a “Franchise […]