Contract Law
Ways to accept a contract
Signature; Verbally; Silence; Performance
These non-agent consultants or independent contractors work for "finder's fees" and spend time "wining and dining" recruits to deliver clients to agencies.
Who are Runners
Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act prohibits contracts or conspiracies in restraint of trade, subjecting violators to this specific financial penalty.
What are treble damages (x3)
Who is Leslie "Tiger" Fitzpatrick?
In June 2025, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken granted final approval to this landmark $2.8 billion antitrust settlement, allowing Division I schools to pay college athletes directly for the first time in history.
What is the House v. NCAA settlement?
This rule dictates that certain contracts must be in writing to be enforced.
What is the Statute of Frauds.
These are the three legal sources from which a sports agent derives authority to act on behalf of an athlete.
Express Authority; Implied Authority; and Apparent Authority
In Federal Baseball Club v. National League (1922), the Supreme Court ruled that Major League Baseball was exempt from federal antitrust law because baseball games did not meet these two constitutional requirements.
What are "interstate" and "commerce"?
Brooks Cowan spent 14.5 years with The IRONMAN Group, ultimately serving in this executive legal leadership role.
What is Chief Legal Officer (CLO)?
In late 2024, Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed a federal antitrust suit challenging this stock-car organization's charter system under Sections 1 & 2 of the Sherman Act.
Nascar
Firing an athletic employee for violating civil/criminal laws, team rules, or moral turpitude falls under this specific contractual standard.
What is Just Cause (or With Cause)? Morals Clause
This form of agent authority commonly arises or persists after a formal agency contract between the athlete and agent has expired.
Apparent Authority
While the Supreme Court ruled in American Needle (2010) that the NFL is NOT a single entity, this soccer league was recognized in Fraser (2000) as a hybrid single entity from its inception.
MLS
Before earning his Master’s in Sport Administration at UM, Leslie earned his undergraduate degree in economics and political science at this Ivy League institution.
What is Columbia University
Under the House v. NCAA revenue-sharing model, opting-in Division I athletic departments can distribute up to an annual pool cap estimated at this amount per school.
This equitable remedy forces a breaching party to fulfill their contractual obligations when no monetary remedy can make the plaintiff whole.
This specific fiduciary duty prohibits a sports agent from putting their own self-interest ahead of the athlete client's financial or legal interests.
What is the Duty of Loyalty.
In Molinas v. NBA (1961), the court upheld the NBA's suspension of All-Star Jack Molinas under antitrust law after he engaged in this prohibited activity.
Gambling
Brooks earned his law degree from this law school after completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago.
What is the University of Virginia School of Law (UVA Law)?
The House v. NCAA settlement created this new governing body to oversee direct revenue-sharing payments, third-party NIL reporting, and roster compliance.
College Sports Commission
This legal doctrine enforces an agreement lacking a traditional contractual element if there was a promise, reasonable reliance, and resulting damages.
Promissory Estoppel
The Model Rules of Professional Conduct (MRPC) ban unethical practices like client solicitation and conflicts of interest, but apply exclusively to this group of agents.
Licensed Attorneys
Under federal labor principles governing CBA negotiations, management and labor have a legal duty to maintain the status quo during contract negotiations until reaching this deadlock state.
Impasse
In addition to being a former collegiate athlete, Brooks possesses this specific linguistic skill
Speaking 3 different languages
In sports stadium operations and event planning, federal and state lawmakers in 2026 expanded regulatory legislation to counter airspace safety threats posed by this emerging technology.
Drones