Sports Law Links

Each week The Sports Esquires keep track of the sports law headlines so you don’t have to. In this week’s edition, Darren Sharper pleads guilty, FIFA fallout continues, Glendale fights with the Coyotes, and Tom Benson’s mental competency trial concludes.

NFL

• Darren Sharper pleaded guilty to raping three women in the final step of his global plea deal. The four-state agreement is worth reading in its entirety. More on the strict terms of probation.
• The NFLPA’s motion to hold Roger Goodell in contempt of court in the Adrian Peterson case is set for a hearing on August 13.
• Justin Fielkow answers a few frequently asked questions on Tom Brady’s suspension and appeal. AEI conducted a review of the Deflategate controversy.
• Andrew Brandt asks whether the league has an early retirement problem.
• The NFL’s eroding stance on gambling.
• Company accused of stealing trade secrets concerning NFL player tracking technology.
• Aaron Hernandez’s attorney claims one juror may have lied to get a seat on the jury.

FIFA

• An update on where the arrested FIFA officials are.
• Swiss authorities seized IT data from FIFA officials, including Sepp Blatter. Why open data should be central to FIFA reform.
• A judge ordered prosecutors to unseal former FIFA official Chuck Blazer’s plea agreement. You can read the plea agreement here.
• How Blatter went from triumph to resignation in four days. Blatter is reportedly reconsidering his planned resignation. Domenico Scala responds.
• FIFA is postponing 2026 World Cup bidding amid its corruption scandal.
• FIFA’s communications chief has resigned in the wake of a bad joke.
• Corruption beyond FIFA – good and bad money.

NHL

• The Glendale City Council has voted to end its arena lease agreement with the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes issued a statement on the decision. A judge has granted the team’s request for a TRO. The Coyotes have set up a website to post the legal documents they have filed in the case. Steve Benson provides an overview of the situation.
• The NHL has settled its television blackout lawsuit with broadcasters. Here is the proposed settlement. Nathaniel Grow examines the settlement as well as a new broadcasting lawsuit.
• Gary Bettman will be deposed next month as part of the concussion lawsuit against the NHL.
• A key figure in the sprawling NHL fraud lawsuit testifies this week.

NCAA

• Former college football player and lead plaintiff Adrian Arrington called the proposed NCAA concussion settlement “completely unacceptable.”
• Academic accrediting body sanctions UNC for its actions in the academic fraud scandal.
• A reintroduced congressional bill focuses on NCAA scholarships and concussions.
• The University of Hawaii filed suit against its former men’s basketball coach over misuse of travel funds and violation of NCAA bylaws.
• The deadline to file a claim for the EA basketball and football settlement is July 2, 2015.
• The University of Texas has started an internal investigation into its basketball academics.

MLB

• The baseball rule: how duties to spectators continue to evolve. Kent Greenfield argues that teams should pay for fans’ injuries. Nathaniel Grow provides legal background for the discussion.
• Is an international MLB draft inevitable or impossible?
• Former Miami baseball coach sues A-Rod for invasion of privacy related to the Biogenesis scandal.

Best of the Rest

• The lawsuit over Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson’s trust has been ordered back to state Benson’s mental competency trial concluded with a ruling expected within a week. Read the New Orleans Advocate’s thorough coverage of the last few days of the trial: a recap of the first week, Gayle Benson’s testimony, and the final day.
• A new lawsuit over the largest regional sports network collapse in history.
• Nike fights on two fronts as its brand becomes linked to bribery and doping allegations.