Heitner Legal
In a groundbreaking ESPN investigation, the complex world of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) contracts in college sports has been laid bare, revealing a landscape far more intricate and potentially problematic than most athletes—or fans—realize. The Control Mechanism: More Than Just a Contract As a sports attorney who has worked extensively with athletes and booster […]
In a significant ruling that adds another chapter to the ongoing legal battles over NCAA eligibility rules, the Eastern District of Tennessee has denied baseball player Alberto Osuna Sanchez’s request for a preliminary injunction against the NCAA’s junior college eligibility rule. This decision stands in contrast to several recent rulings that have chipped away at […]
Are you involved in a case where there is a need for expert witness testimony from a sports lawyer? Is there a party who is an athlete with an alleged loss of economic opportunity, a sports-specific question that is highly nuanced such as one relating to athlete agent laws or NCAA policy, or do you […]
On January 6, 2021, a high school athlete, Ethan Elalou, appealed a final judgment from the Circuit Court for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Broward County in favor of the School Board of Broward County on an executed pre-game release waiver form that barred his claim of negligence against the school board. On appeal, Elalou […]
Compare the following stats: Player A: 84 receptions, 1,492 yards, 17.8 avg. yards/catch, 12 TDs Player B: 86 receptions, 1,215 yards, 14.1 avg. yards/catch, 16 TDs Player C: 52 receptions, 850 yards, 16.3 avg. yards/catch 13 TDs If you guessed that Player A and Player B were two of the top receivers for the 2013 […]
In January 2011, the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) released a report titled, “Dangers of the Game of Football.” In the report, the NFLPA wrote that injuries went from 3.2 per week to 3.7 per week in 2010. Further, 63% of NFL players were injured during the 2010 season compared to a 59% average […]
Roughly 9,000 lawsuits have been filed against tobacco companies in Florida based on claims that for many years tobacco companies failed to warn smokers about the dangers and addictive capacity of cigarettes. The class of potential plaintiffs is huge, as many people across the country have smoked cigarettes at one point in their lives. The […]
Here is a sample definition of likeness – name, silhouette, personality, appearance, performance, depiction, portrayal, photograph and voice. It is an integral definition in many licensing agreements where one party hopes to be able to exploit the other party, usually for a hefty fee. What if you were not entitled to just compensation for the […]
Very talented athletes stand to make more money from off field/court/ice/etc. activities than what they earn based on performing in the trade that they are truly qualified. Agents, attorneys, and marketers attempt to find and negotiate these deals for their athlete clients. Often times, those deals are licensing agreements, or at least contain provisions that […]
On October 6, 2010, Willis & Woy Sports Group, L.L.C., and Jordan Woy v. Horace Smith, et al. was filed in a district court in Dallas County, Texas. In the petition, application for temporary restraining order, and application for injunctive relief, Jordan Woy alleges that former client and Willis & Woy employee, Horace Smith, used […]