2021 was an eventful year in Sport Law. This episode dives into the best sports law stories Conduct Detrimental covered.
We start with some honorable mentions (3:57) being the Super League formation and deterioration; the current MLB Lockout and CBA negotiations; Bishop Sycamore making it onto national television as a scam; Kyle Beach's career ruined by the inaction of the Chicago Blackhawks by covering up his sexual assault; and Henry Ruggs terrible drunken mistake that caused a loss of life and his potential imprisonment.
Top Ten Stories:
10) Evander Kane (16:03) has had a lot of run-ins in the sports law sphere this year, with allegations of gambling/throwing games, throughout his messy divorce.
9) Florida Sports Betting (20:47) was predicted by the Sports Gambling Guru himself, Dan Wallach, for being in violation of Federal Law.
8) Trevor Bauer (23:35) signed a massive contract with the Dodgers and didn't play for most of 2021 and the foreseeable future, and in similar fashion to Deshaun Watson.
7) Urban Meyer (25:54) was fired for cause by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and we analyzed whether or not it actually was for cause.
6) Washington Football Team and Jon Gruden (30:54) as a result of NFL's investigation into the terrible team culture created by Dan Snyder at WFT, and Jon Gruden's emails being the cause of his firing as HC of the Raiders. Also, will the final WFT investigation report be released, or any of the 650,000 emails?
5) Deshaun Watson (37:01) for a good majority of 2021 has been dealing with off-field legal battles as a result of 22 women accusing him of numerous lewd sexual acts. There still haven't been any criminal charges filed.
4) NCAA v. Alston (39:19) created a spark for the name, image and likeness movement as the NCAA opened the door for athletes to receive extra-permissible benefits.
3) NIL (39:19) began on July 1, 2021 and we entered the Wild, Wild West. Numerous players have struck NIL deals and because there is no guidance from the NCAA nor federal legislation, we have begun to see deals that toe the line of pay-for-play.
2) Cleveland Guardians (50:00) was a story that Dan Lust noticed right from the start, and we brought to life. The Cleveland Baseball Team was bested by the Cleveland Guardians roller derby team, and even after the settlement, the roller derby team still owns the website and social media handle.
1) St. Louis Rams Relocation Lawsuit (56:23) was easily our #1 story of 2021. Although one of our most recent, Dan Wallach's legal analysis brought this lawsuit to the national spotlight. The possibilities of an expansion team and very high damages hung in the balance as the case almost went to trial in 2022. However, the city of St. Louis received their $790 million settlement.
Thank you all for an amazing 2021 journey and we look forward to what 2022 has in store for all of us in the world of Sports Law.
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Dan Wallach (@WallachLegal)
Dan Lust (@SportsLawLust)
Mike Lawson (@mike_sonof_law)
Tarun Sharma (@tksharmalaw)
Steph Weissenburger (@SWeissenburger_)
Jason Morrin (@jason_morrin)
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