All posts tagged: sports law

Why Top Global Law Firms Are Racing to Build Sports Law Practices

Published by

The legal industry is undergoing a noticeable shift, and the latest battleground isn’t technology, private equity, or corporate restructurings—it’s sports. Over the past year, six of the world’s leading law firms have launched or significantly expanded dedicated sports law practices, signaling that sports law has evolved as one of the most attractive practice sectors. This isn’t a series of isolated hiring decisions. It’s a strategic move to secure expertise in a market where demand is accelerating faster than the supply of experienced legal talent. The most recent entrant is Paul Hastings, which has officially launched a global sports practice by hiring two highly regarded lawyers with deep experience across the industry. The firm recruited Brandon Etheridge, formerly the general counsel of the Baltimore Ravens, alongside sports mergers and acquisitions specialist Mark Zerdin. Zerdin is well known for advising on complex business transactions, including General Motors’ high-profile entry into Formula 1 with the Cadillac Formula 1 team. However, Paul Hastings is not alone. Several of the world’s most prestigious law firms—including Latham & Watkins, Kirkland & …

Rutgers: Sued for Keeping Up with the Jones’ 

Published by

On March 31, a class action lawsuit was filed against Rutgers University, led by Rutgers graduate and New Jersey resident, Hector Rodriguez. The complaint alleges that since Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014, the University has misappropriated funds by diverting operating revenues from state taxes, tuition, and mandatory student fees to support the failing athletic program. The first charge alleges that the University leadership breached their fiduciary duties by continuing to fund the athletics program despite their knowledge of the magnitude of its losses. The second charge asks for declaratory judgement declaring that the athletics expenditures are unlawful and a waste of public funds.  The lawsuit was filed in response to the fiscal report released by the University in early 2026 showing that the 2025 athletics deficit was over $70 million, the third time in the last five years. Since 2014, the total deficit has grown to $526 million. Rutgers is not the only school operating in an athletics budget deficit. In the 2021-2022 academic year, 98.6% of the 2,023 colleges and universities …

A New Precedent in Sports Arbitration: How Gruden and Flores Won Their Day in Court

Published by

With the Arizona Cardinals’ hiring of former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, the NFL’s 2026 head coaching carousel has officially stopped spinning. A record-tying 10 franchises decided to let go of their head coach this offseason, a stark reminder of how rapidly one’s career can be shaken in the NFL. While some of these coaches fought to get jobs on other teams, Jon Gruden and Brian Flores are two former head coaches who saw their exits turn into battles of the legal kind, both of which still rage on to this day.   In 2021, Jon Gruden resigned from his position as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after the NFL released private emails between him and former president of the Washington Commanders Bruce Allen during an investigation into toxic work culture. Gruden used profane, misogynistic, and racist language to describe certain NFL players and executives. Gruden then sued Roger Goodell and the NFL in Nevada state court in November 2021. His claims arose from the NFL collecting about 650,000 emails in …