Episodes

The pod is back! On this episode, we tackle the latest developments in the long and winding road to potential employee status for college athletes. We’ll break down the oral arguments in the Johnson v. NCAA case— with the 2 lead lawyers for the plaintiffs, Paul McDonald and Mike Willemin—and what the case might mean for the future of college sports. We’ll also look at the recent decision in Brian Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL with Brian Flores’ lawyer. Thank you for list...

Earlier this summer, a Supreme Court case about a high school football coach praying at the 50-yard line ignited a fierce debate about freedom of religion and expression. A majority of the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the coach and held that the Constitution protected his right to pray on the field after the game. Proponents of the ruling say it’s a victory for freedom of religion for all Americans. Opponents believe that "this is the greatest loss of religious freedom in our country in gener...

On this episode, I discuss all things baseball and the law with Evan Drellich, Senior Writer for The Athletic; Chelsea Janes, National Baseball Writer, Washington Post; and Bill Shaikin, reporter for the LA Times. We cover the future of the MLB antitrust exemption, the international draft, Trevor Bauer, and much more! Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .

On this episode, I'm joined by Ben Meiselas, prominent civil rights and sport lawyer, attorney and business partner of Colin Kaepernick, co-founder of Meidas Touch, an independent pro-democracy media network, and an advisor to the Hockey Diversity Alliance. After winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, Nazem Kadri told the international television audience that "for everybody that thought I was a liability these playoffs...you can kiss my a-s." Earlier in the playoffs, Kadri, the o...

This episode tackles a basic question that could have a massive impact on the future of college sports-- are college athletes employees? I'm joined by Paul McDonald, the attorney currently leading the fight for college athletes to be classified as employees, We discuss why Paul thinks his current lawsuit—Johnson v NCAA—will be successful and lead to employee status for college athletes, what employee status would mean for college athletes, and what it all means in the big picture of athlete comp...

Rusty Hardin, the lawyer representing embattled Cleveland Browns Quarterback Deshaun Watson, joins the pod to talk about the possible discipline he is facing from the NFL, the 22 sexual misconduct lawsuits filed against him, why the possible trade with Dolphins fell through, why the trade with the Browns went through, the legal and PR strategy he has used to defend Watson and other high profile athletes, and much more.... Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, ...

Rusty Hardin, the lawyer representing embattled Cleveland Browns Quarterback Deshaun Watson, joins the pod to talk about the possible discipline he is facing from the NFL, the 22 sexual misconduct lawsuits filed against him, and the legal and PR strategy he has used to defend Watson and other high profile athletes, including Roger Clemens. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .

Jim Quinn, the legendary sports lawyer, has served as counsel for every major professional sports players union in the country—including the players associations for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS. Jim and I discuss the lessons learned from MLB 's first lockout after more than 25 years of labor peace, how he is trying to fight MLB and its exemption for antitrust law in the Supreme Court, the first strike in professional sports history, and the rapidly evolving legal landscape in college sports....

Brian Flores' lawyers-- Douglas Wigdor and Michael Willemin-- join me to offer their perspective on Flores' landmark racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and to break down the latest news and developments in the case, including: 1) Why they believe Flores has a strong case; 2) What Flores is hoping to accomplish with his lawsuit; 3) How they claim the Dolphins tried to buy Flores’ silence,; 4) Whether other coaches will be joining the lawsuit; 5) The Dolphins' request to have the case ...

This week I’m joined by two very special guests to help me break down Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL, NY Giants, Denver Broncos, and Miami Dolphins, racial discrimination in the NFL, and the good, bad, and ugly of the NFL’s Rooney Rule. Joining me to discuss are: Jim Rooney, author of "A Different Way to Win," and son of Dan Rooney, the driving force behind (and namesake of) the Rooney Rule; and Jeremi Duru, Professor of Law at American University and one of the country's leading experts...

Michael McCann, legal analyst for Sportico, rejoins pod for the fastest 40 minutes in sports law. We run through the hottest issues: the Major League Baseball Lockout, the lawsuit seeking $6 billion against the Jets and Giants for…playing in New Jersey, college athletes and their fight for employee status, the latest challenge to Major League Baseball's 100-year old antitrust exemption, Novak Djokovic vs. Australia, Jon Gruden vs. the NFL, Antonio Brown vs. the Bucs, Oakland vs. the Raiders and ...

This episode takes a deep dive into the latest developments in the wild and rapidly changing world of college sports, including the possibility of college athlete unions, the latest NIL news, the next possible domino to fall in the fight for greater college athlete rights, and the new "National Champions" movie. The special guests on the pod are Jason Stahl, founder of the College Football Players Association, Michael Hsu, founder of the College Basketball Players Association, Justin Falcinelli,...

College sports have been in the crosshairs of federal and state legislation and antitrust litigation for the last few years, and a new challenge to the status quo has emerged. Jennifer Abruzzo, General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, recently released a memo that concludes that scholarship college football players at FBS schools are employees. She also explains that use of the term "student-athlete" could violate the law because it leads college athletes to believe that they are n...

Michael McCann, legal analyst for Sportico, joins to talk about the wild present and even wilder future of college sports. What can we expect to happen over the next several months, and what is the future for college athlete name, image, and likeness rights, college sports video games, pay for play, and the Fletch reboot. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .

A unanimous Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA and held that some of their restrictions on college athlete benefits are illegal under antitrust law. Justice Kavanaugh added a scathing concurring opinion and headlines across the country pronounced that the NCAA is near its death as an organization. What does the case mean? Is this the beginning of the end for the NCAA? What happens next? What goes on behind closed doors at the Supreme Court? Is it appropriate to send emoji texts to a Supreme C...

This episode previews the oral arguments in the NCAA v. Alston case—the first case involving college sports to reach the U.S. Supreme Court since the landmark NCAA v. Board of Regents case in 1984. Alston could determine the fate of the NCAA’s amateurism model and fundamentally change college sports forever. Or, at least until Congress gets involved. The episode includes previous interviews I did with Jeff Kessler, outside counsel for the plaintiffs who will be arguing the case in front of the S...

On this episode I'm joined by Katie Hnida, the first woman to play in and score points in an NCAA Division I football game. Katie and I talk about her path to playing college football at the highest level, why she enjoys the "few seconds of panic" that come with being a kicker, the highs and lows of her experience being a college football pioneer, including the sexual assault and rape she endured while at the University of Colorado, her history-making success on and off the field at the Universi...

This episode features a conversation with two legal heavyweights-- Chase Strangio and Neena Chaudhry. Chase is Deputy Director for Transgender Justice with the ACLU and has successfully litigated a number of cases on behalf of LGBTQ people over the last several years, including a landmark victory in the US Supreme Court last summer. Chase was named to Time Magazine’s List of 100 most influential people in the world, among many other honors. Neena is General Counsel and Senior Advisor for Educati...

Dr. David Chao, aka Pro Football Doc, the former team doctor of the San Diego Chargers for 17 years, joins the pod to look at some of the thorny medical, legal and ethical issues that have come up in high profile NFL injury cases, discuss his transition from NFL team doctor to social media doctor and injury guru, talk about how his work might transform sports gambling and fantasy sports, and much much more. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow ...

Legendary sports lawyer Jeffrey Kessler joins the pod to talk about the upcoming battle in the Supreme Court over college athlete compensation limits, the US women’s soccer players fight for equal pay, how he is partly responsible for the misery of Jets fans, and how bumping into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the unlikeliest of places changed his career. And Jeffrey is probably the most well known sports lawyer in the country. He has represented every major players association in the country, litigate...

Amy Trask, former CEO of the Raiders, current analyst for CBS Sports. author of "You Negotiate Like a Girl," Chairman of the board of the Big3 , and Queen of Twitter joins the pod to discuss the unique legacy and leadership style of Al Davis, her approach to negotiation, business relationships, and social media, the fractured relationship between the NFL and the NFL Players Association, and overcoming sexism and gender bias in the NFL. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news ...

The Commissioners of the Big East (Val Ackerman), Big 12 (Bob Bowlsby) and Ivy League (Robin Harris) join to discuss the decisions to return to play (or not to play) college football and basketball, the future of name, image and likeness rights for college athletes, and the possibility of the Power 5 conferences splitting off from the NCAA. Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .

Journalist and author Melissa Korn joins the pod to tackle the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, arguably the biggest non-political scandal of the century. Melissa is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and co-author of "Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit and the Making of the College Admissions Scandal," which was published earlier this year. The book-- and this episode-- uncover the sordid details of the scandal and the collision between college admissions, college sports, ov...

Legendary sports lawyer Jeff Mishkin, outside counsel for the NCAA, joins the pod to take a deep dive into the NCAA’s ongoing legal battle over the amateurism model and the limits on athlete compensation. Jeff represents the NCAA in the Alston v. NCAA case, which might end up in the Supreme Court next year. In addition to his work with the NCAA, Jeff has been the outside counsel for the NBA for many years and has represented very major professional sports league in the country. On the pod, he pr...