SportsWise: A Podcast About Sports and the Law

Send us Fan Mail

Rusty Hardin, the lawyer representing embattled Cleveland Browns Quarterback Deshaun Watson, joins the pod to talk about the possible discipline he is facing from the NFL, the 22 sexual misconduct lawsuits filed against him, and the legal and PR strategy he has used to defend Watson and other high profile athletes, including Roger Clemens.   

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

Send us Fan Mail

Jim Quinn, the legendary sports lawyer,  has served as counsel for every major professional sports players union in the country—including the players associations for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS. Jim and I discuss the lessons learned from MLB 's first lockout after more than 25 years of labor peace, how he is trying to fight MLB and its exemption for antitrust law in the Supreme Court, the first strike in professional sports history, and the rapidly evolving legal landscape in college sports.  Here we go..

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

Send us Fan Mail

Brian Flores' lawyers-- Douglas Wigdor and Michael Willemin-- join me to offer their perspective on Flores' landmark racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and to break down the latest news and developments in the case, including:

1)  Why they believe Flores has a strong case;
2)  What Flores is hoping to accomplish with his lawsuit;
3)  How they claim the Dolphins tried to buy Flores’ silence,;
4)  Whether other coaches will be joining the lawsuit;
5)  The Dolphins' request to have the case be heard by Roger Goodell in a private arbitration;
6)  The next steps in the litigation;
And much, much more...

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

Send us Fan Mail

This week I’m joined by two very special guests to help me break down Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL, NY Giants, Denver Broncos, and Miami Dolphins, racial discrimination in the NFL, and the good, bad, and ugly of the NFL’s Rooney Rule.

Joining me to discuss are: Jim Rooney, author of  "A Different Way to Win," and son of Dan Rooney, the driving force behind (and namesake of) the Rooney Rule; and Jeremi Duru, Professor of Law at American University and one of the country's leading experts in sports law and employment discrimination.

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

Send us Fan Mail

Michael McCann, legal analyst for Sportico, rejoins pod for the fastest 40 minutes in sports law.  We run through the hottest issues:  the Major League Baseball Lockout, the lawsuit seeking $6 billion against the Jets and Giants for…playing in New Jersey, college athletes and their fight for employee status, the latest challenge to Major League Baseball's 100-year old antitrust exemption, Novak Djokovic vs. Australia, Jon Gruden vs. the NFL, Antonio Brown vs. the Bucs, Oakland vs. the Raiders and more. 

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

Send us Fan Mail

This episode takes a deep dive into the latest developments in the wild and rapidly changing world of  college sports, including the possibility of college athlete unions, the latest NIL news, the next possible domino to fall in the fight for greater college athlete rights, and the new "National Champions" movie.  The special guests on the pod are Jason Stahl, founder of the College Football Players Association, Michael Hsu, founder of the College Basketball Players Association, Justin Falcinelli, former starting center and national champion on the Clemson football team, and Corey Staniscia, External Affairs Director for Dreamfield.

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

Send us Fan Mail

College sports have been in the crosshairs of federal and state legislation and antitrust litigation for the last few years, and a new challenge to the status quo has emerged.  Jennifer Abruzzo, General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, recently released a memo that concludes that scholarship college football players at FBS schools are employees.  She also explains that use of the term "student-athlete" could violate the law because it leads college athletes to believe that they are not employees.

What does this all mean for the future of college athletes and college athletics?  Does this apply to all college athletes in all sports, or just football players? Will this lead to the unionization of college athletes?   Pay for play? What can we expect next?  Jennifer Abruzzo breaks it all down for us.  

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

Send us Fan Mail

Michael McCann, legal analyst for Sportico, joins to talk about the wild present and even wilder future of college sports.  What can we expect to happen over the next several months, and what is the future for college athlete name, image, and likeness rights, college sports video games, pay for play, and the Fletch reboot.

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

Send us Fan Mail

A unanimous Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA and held that some of their restrictions on college athlete benefits are illegal under antitrust law.  Justice Kavanaugh added a scathing concurring opinion and headlines across the country pronounced that the NCAA is near its death as an organization.  

What does the case mean? Is this the beginning of the end for the NCAA? What happens next? What goes on behind closed doors at the Supreme Court?  Is it appropriate to send emoji texts to a Supreme Court Justice?  Rakesh Kilaru, one of the lead lawyers for the NCAA in the Alston case, joins me to answer all of these questions and more.  

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

Send us Fan Mail

Nina Totenberg, the legendary, groundbreaking, pioneering, award-winning and beloved long-time legal affairs correspondent for NPR joins me to share her perspective on the looming NCAA v. Alston decision , her incredible career, and her take on the significant shift in the Supreme Court.  

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .