Author: Holt Hackney

Find expert witnesses and attorneys who can meet your needs

Navigating Legal Complexities of NIL Agreements: Jaden Rashada

By Jason S. Kaner The arrival of name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreements has transformed college athletics, offering student-athletes unprecedented opportunities to profit from their personal brands.  Yet, the case of Jaden Rashada, a promising quarterback, is a cautionary tale. When Rashada entered the 2023 college recruitment season, the NCAA had recently adopted rules allowing compensation…
Read more

NFL Renews Its Commitment to Organizations Advancing Social Justice

As part of the NFL’s Inspire Change social justice initiative, the league today announced grant renewals for 10 partners who are working to enact positive change in communities across the country. These grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations creating measurable change across the four pillars of Inspire Change: education, economic advancement, community-policerelations and criminal justice…
Read more

Will Driver Felipe Massa Get His Day in Court? It’s Hard to Tell

(Editor’s Note: What follows is an article from the latest issue of Sports Litigation Alert. To subscribe and receive the Alert every two week and access the vast searchable archive, visit here.) By Kerri Cebula, sports law professor at Kutztown University The 2008 Formula One Singapore Grand Prix is best known for one reason: Crashgate. …
Read more

Zion Williamson v. Prime Sports Marketing: Agents and Advisors PAY ATTENTION

By Christian Dennie at cdennie@denniefirm.com On May 6, 2024, the Fourth Circuit issued its opinion in favor of Zion Williamson (“Williamson”) upholding the District Court’s decision in favor of Williamson.  The Fourth Circuit concluded that Williamson was engaged in an intercollegiate sport while on the Duke University (“Duke”) men’s basketball team, and was thus a “student-athlete,” so…
Read more

LEAD1 Association President and CEO Tom McMillen stepping down at the End of the Summer

LEAD1 Association President and CEO Tom McMillen has announced that, after eight plus years leading the association, which represents the athletics directors of the 133-member schools of the Football Bowl Subdivision (“FBS”), he will be stepping down on September 30, 2024, to pursue other opportunities. McMillen will stay as President and CEO through June 30,…
Read more

Hackney Publications Partners with Cimarron Global Solutions to Create a New Publication Examining Sporting Events and their Impact on Communities

Hackney Publications, the nation’s leading publisher of sports law publications, and Cimarron Global Solutions, renowned for their research in sport and tourism, has announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind publication examining the impact of sporting events on cities, states, regions, and countries. The publication, titled Creating Community Through Sport, will be published six times a…
Read more

Loyola University Chicago Elects Sports Lawyer LaKeisha C. Marsh as New Member of Board of Trustees

At its annual meeting, the Board of Trustees of Loyola University Chicago elected new board members, including sports lawyer LaKeisha C. Marsh (JD ’05) of Akerman LLP. Marsh (JD ’05) serves as the chair of Akerman’s Government Affairs and Public Policy Practice Group. She leads a bipartisan team of professionals providing strategic counsel on policy…
Read more

Analytics and Its Impact on the Sports Industry

Ever wondered why your favorite basketball team loses season after season? Or why other teams perform well? Height plays a huge role in the NBA — the average NBA player is 6 feet 6 inches tall, and the average male in the United States is about 5 feet 10 inches. With each inch that you…
Read more

With New Hire, Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld Announces New Gaming & Sports Practice

Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC (RCCB) has announced the hire of sports lawyer Evan Davis in conjunction with the launch of a new Gaming & Sports practice. Davis “brings a wealth of experience and a sterling reputation in the gaming industry, and is known internationally for his proficiency in sports wagering,” according to the firm.…
Read more

Sports Lawyers Association to Present its Award of Excellence to Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman

The Sports Lawyers Association (SLA) has announced that Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman will receive its Michael Weiner Award of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the association, on May 10 during its 49th Annual Conference in Baltimore. For details on the conference and attending the event, visit https://www.sportslaw.org/conferences/2024conf/ “It is in keeping with the…
Read more