About

Provided by Winston & Strawn LLP

Clients include every major U.S. players association, sports franchises and leagues, professional and amateur athletes, IP licensees and licensors, media companies, sports agents, governmental entities, coaches, sponsors, and others in the sports industry.

Litigated some of the most historic/noteworthy sports cases:

• Representation of US Women’s National Soccer Team in fight for equal pay, including collective bargaining negotiations with US Soccer Federation and proceedings before Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
• Arbitration and litigation in “Deflategate” case challenging authority of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discipline NFL player Tom Brady
• Representation of a historic antitrust suit against NCAA and major college conferences (Jenkins v. NCAA) challenging restrictions on compensation to players
• Arbitration and litigation challenging the authority of the NFL’s commissioner to retroactively apply the NFL’s new Personal Conduct Policy to Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson
• Arbitration successfully challenging the NFL commissioner’s second discipline of former NFL player Ray Rice
• Landmark antitrust suits that led to the current free agency/salary cap systems in the NFL and NBA

Balanced practice includes representation of leagues, franchises and other owner/operators in sports industry, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, North American Soccer League (NASL), a number of ATP Masters 1000, and a variety of tennis tournaments.