Sports Litigation Alert Current Issue

By Jeff Birren, Senior Writer Introduction In 2021 Owen Heinecke went to Ohio State to both play lacrosse and attempt to walk on for the football team. That season he played in three lacrosse games. Heinecke left for the University of Oklahoma (“OU”) after the season....

By Gary Chester, Senior Writer The once-proud Stanford University football program last produced a winning season in 2018 when David Shaw was the head coach. After the Cardinal suffered four straight losing seasons, Stanford replaced Shaw in 2023 with former New York...

By Anna Giambelluca, Esq, Legal Editor When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Lesia Tsurenko was in Mexico preparing to play tennis. Within hours, she claims the atmosphere at the tournament shifted: Russian players stopped speaking to their Ukrainian...

By Matthew T. Pisarski & Michael S. Carroll A New Hampshire homeowner’s lawsuit against pool equipment manufacturer Pentair Inc. has been dismissed following the court’s decision to grant summary judgement in favor of the company. The case arose after the...

By Sam Safferstein, of Tulane Sports Law On March 9, 2026, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Spencer Eig denied a motion to strike evidence in the ongoing dispute over the ball hit by Shohei Ohtani in his 50th home run.  On September 19, 2024, Los Angeles Dodgers slugger...

By Michael S. Carroll In March of 2026, journalists from WAFB-TV, the Louisiana Illuminator, and Tiger Rag have filed a lawsuit against Louisiana State University (LSU) following denial of records requests related to payments made to student-athletes under revenue...

By Joshua D. Winneker[1] and David Gargone[2] Last year, the University of Wisconsin sued the University of Miami alleging that a Miami staff member and an alumnus tampered with Wisconsin defensive back Xavier Lucas by offering him money to leave Wisconsin to play for...

By Kanika Corley, Team Leader, Sports and Entertainment Sector Team and Partner, Litigation Practice Group, Akerman LLP Executive Summary The rapid expansion of trade‑in, buy‑back, and certified pre‑owned (CPO) programs for serialized sports equipment has created a...

By Louise Skinner, Katherine Gibson and Phoebe Fardell, Of Morgan Lewis Recent legislative developments are set to significantly reshape employment relationships across English football. With the Employment Rights Act 2025 (the Act) having received Royal Assent at the...

By Christopher R. Deubert, Senior Writer The Pittsburgh Steelers earn an estimated $650 million annually in revenue, according to Sportico. A substantial portion of that revenue comes from its dozens of sponsorship agreements with corporate partners. To facilitate...

By Drew Schott As Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Sacramento Kings, Jeff Dorso is not only responsible for issues directly involving the National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise. His role also concerns matters affecting the Kings’ affiliates...

By Kian Sohrabi and Laura Zeng, Harvard Law School The Harvard Law School Sports Law Symposium convened practitioners from leagues, teams, and law firms to examine the evolving legal and business landscape of modern sports. Panelists emphasized the industry's growing...

By Harleen Kaur, J.D. Candidate '28, Santa Clara University School of Law Santa Clara University School of Law hosted its 3rd annual Sports Law Conference this spring, with one panel in particular featuring a rich discussion about the Diversity and Inclusive...

By Christopher Rawlins and Delaney Freistuhler On March 30, 2026, a Las Vegas judge set a May 2027 trial date for Jon Gruden’s lawsuit against the National Football League (NFL) and Roger Goodell, marking a significant step in a case previously contested on procedural...

By Holt Hackney The ascension of the sports lawyer has been well-chronicled over the last year, fueled in part by the financial attractiveness of properties in the sports industry and the NIL phenomenon. There are plenty of markers on the way, too, such as last year’s...

By Jason Lee, Santa Clara University School of Law (Class of 2027) Watching Jerry Maguire gave me a glimpse of a side of sports I had never seen before. The agents, the deals, the relationships, and everything happening behind the scenes that you never get to see...

By Anna Giambelluca, Esq. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP made a significant move to bolster its sports dealmaking capabilities in April 2026, announcing the addition of three high-profile partners to its Mergers and Acquisitions practice. Michael Kuh and Eric...

Fox Rothschild has announced the addition of veteran attorney Tyrone P. “Ty” Thomas as a partner in its Entertainment & Sports Law Department. Thomas, who joins the firm’s Washington office while also maintaining a presence in New York, brings more than two...

Professional athletes financial, legal and advisory teams play a critical role in structuring deals that go far beyond the field. To help navigate the complex tax landscape that comes with major contracts, endorsements, and high-stakes careers, we sat down with Jason...

England and Wales Cricket Board has appointed senior sports lawyer Catherine Beloff as its new general counsel. Beloff will join the ECB in September and will oversee legal strategy for the governing body’s commercial, governance, regulatory and litigation matters....