The North Carolina Court of Appeals has affirmed that disputes between sports agency businesses must be resolved through private arbitration when contractually agreed upon, rather than through NFLPA grievance procedures. The underlying dispute arose from an “Alliance Agreement” between Premier Athlete Advisors LLC and EnterSports MGT LLC, two agencies that combined their football management operations […]
On May 30, 2025, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania handed down a significant decision in the case of Todd France v. Jason Bernstein, a dispute that has captured the attention of the sports agent community. The saga began in late 2016 when NFL wide receiver Kenny Golladay signed a […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Reggie Bush may be attempting to Trojan Horse his way back into the prestigious Heisman family. Bush filed a complaint with the Indiana Commercial Court in Marion County on August 23rd, bringing a defamation suit against the NCAA. Although the complaint is seeking compensatory and punitive damages from the NCAA, Bush is believably attempting to […]
My thoughts on the Michael Oher news: Seemingly every news outlet and media page this morning had the same headline: “Michael Oher sues Tuohy family.” The 2009 film “The Blind Side” is embedded in sports culture forever, but Oher is now asserting the movie misrepresented a critical premise of his story. Oher has always been […]