Sports Litigation Alert Current Issue

By Jeff Birren, Senior Writer Sandra Page Taylor attended a concert at Levi’s stadium in May 2022. After the show, an employee of Landmark Event Staffing Services, Inc., (“Landmark”), encouraged her to try a large slide that was on the premises. Ms. Taylor used the...

By Robert J. Romano, JD, LLM, St. John’s University, Senior Writer In the federal criminal case of United States v. Thompson, No. 24-11009, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld the convictions of Samuel Arthur Thompson on ten federal criminal...

By Kate Ragusa On July 15, 2026, the Appellate Court of Maryland affirmed a circuit court ruling that Curtis Brooks, a professional football player employed by Pro-Football, LLC, under contract with the Washington Commanders, was a “covered employee” under Maryland’s...

By Tin Ostro* Introduction On September 1, 2026, a Missouri state court granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) allowing Augustine Tettamble—a Division I men’s tennis player on the University of Tulsa’s 2026 roster—to practice, play, and participate in a men's...

By John E. Tyrrell, Patrick J. McStravick and William H. Nam, of Ricci, Tyrrell, Johnson & Grey The introduction of the name, image, and likeness (“NIL”) economy[6] has left a multitude of groups, including athletes, agents, and universities, without a clear map...

By Robert J. Romano, JD, LLM, St. John’s University, Senior Writer In this rapidly changing world of college athletics, we as industry professionals and fans are bearing witness to something new: contested litigation between universities and student-athletes over...

By Alexis Ferruccio, of Michelman Robinson Money is officially part of the game. The NCAA's longstanding limits on paying athletes have fallen away, universities can now share revenue with their players directly, and the market around name, image, and likeness (NIL)...

By Jeffrey Levine – Assistant Professor, Sport Management, Department of Management and Leadership, School of Business, La Salle University and Lindsey Darvin – Assistant Professor, Department of Sport Management, Falk College of Sport, Syracuse University Consider a...

By Russel R. Reynolds, JD The usage of E-bikes has been rising in popularity. Unlike a traditional or manual bike, e-bikes offer the user an effortless mode of transportation at much higher speeds. However, this rise in popularity has coincided with a rise in e-bike...

By Andres Castillo, of Saul Ewing Back in April 2026, Skillz won a judgment of $420 Million against Papaya Gaming, based on Papaya’s proven use of ‘bots’ (i.e., non-human players) in its online real-money tournaments and skill contests. On July 27, 2026, Judge Cote of...

Katie Brown, Ph.D., a sports law professor at Texas Tech University and member of SRLA, brings an interdisciplinary perspective to a field undergoing rapid change. With research interests spanning trademark law, intellectual property, brand management and NIL, Brown...

By Veronica McCarty, of Saul Ewing No one in the gaming community was shocked when Sony filed its lawsuit alleging copyright and trademark infringement against Tencent in July 2025. Sony’s Horizon Zero Dawn game had been released in 2017, and was a huge success,...

By Holt Hackney Jeffrey Levine, a sports law and sport business scholar who most recently served on the faculty at Drexel University, has joined La Salle University as an assistant professor in the Department of Management and Leadership. Levine, J.D., Ph.D., will...

By Holt Hackney The University of Utah will continue using the “Utes” name for its athletic teams under a renewed agreement with the Ute Indian Tribe that also expands scholarship, health care and educational commitments between the university and the tribe. The...

Cal State Fullerton has named Shondell Reed its director of athletics, the university announced. Reed, a 1995 Cal State Fullerton graduate, will begin his new role Aug. 31. He succeeds Jim Donovan, who is retiring after 14 years leading the athletics department. Reed...

At least one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, according to a new study that researchers say provides one of the broadest estimates yet of the prevalence of the degenerative brain disease among former...

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has named Katreshia Louis-Verrett, J.D., its director of intercollegiate athletics. Louis-Verrett, previously deputy athletic director at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will began her new role Sept....

Three attorneys with Gfeller Laurie LLP have been selected for inclusion in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Founding partners Charles F. Gfeller and Robert D. “Bob” Laurie and Managing Partner Melicent B. Thompson were recognized in the publication’s...

By Jeff Birren, Senior Writer Charles Oakley was ejected from a New York Knicks’ game in February 2017. He responded by suing James Dolan, Madison Square Garden and affiliates, alleging various cause of action. After two trips to the Second Circuit, Oakley’s only...