For high school and college athletes, opportunity often arrives fast. A NIL deal. A sponsorship deal that must be signed by the weekend.
Most athletes are told the same thing. Do not worry. Your agent has it covered.
That advice can be costly.
Agents are hired to find opportunities. Lawyers are hired to protect futures. Those are not the same jobs.
Agents Are Deal Finders. Lawyers Are Risk Spotters
A good agent is focused on relationships, branding, and revenue. Their value is in getting deals done. Speed matters. Momentum matters. Closing matters.
Legal language is different.
Contracts are written to protect the party who drafted them. They are filled with provisions that quietly shift risk to the athlete. Termination rights. Indemnification clauses. Morality standards. Control over name, image, and likeness long after the deal ends.
Most agents are not trained to dissect those clauses. Many openly admit that contract interpretation is not their specialty. Others do not.
That gap is where athletes get hurt.
A lawyer’s job is to slow the process down just enough to see what others miss but still keeping that deal alive.
What Happens After the Deal Matters Just as much as the Deal Itself
Athletes tend to focus on the front page. How much? How long? Who is paying?
Lawyers focus on what happens when something goes wrong.
What if the sponsor pulls out?
What if the athlete gets injured?
What if a social media post violates a vague morality clause?
What if the school changes policies?
What if the athlete transfers?
What if rules shift mid season?
These scenarios are not hypothetical. They are happening every day.
Once a contract is signed, leverage disappears. The time to protect yourself is before the signature, not after the dispute.
Schools and Conferences Are Adding Restrictive Language
This is one of the most overlooked risks for athletes today.
Many schools and conferences are inserting provisions into participation agreements, NIL disclosures, and related documents that restrict athlete rights. Some limit outside endorsements. Some give the school broad approval authority. Others require athletes to waive claims or agree to dispute resolution processes that favor the institution.
Athletes often assume these documents are standard and non negotiable.
That assumption is dangerous.
These agreements are drafted by lawyers whose job is to protect the school and the conferences. They are not drafted with the athlete’s long term interests in mind.
Even documents tied to NCAA compliance can contain language that reaches far beyond eligibility and into future earning power.
A lawyer reviews these documents with an important question in mind. What is the athlete giving up without realizing it?
Why Having Both an Agent and a Lawyer Is the Smart Play
This is not an either or decision.
The best outcomes happen when agents and lawyers work together.
Agents open doors.
Lawyers read the fine print behind those doors.
When a lawyer flags a problematic clause, the agent can often renegotiate it. When an agent understands the legal risk, they can structure better deals going forward.
Athletes who rely on only one side of that equation are exposed.
Parents Should Be Asking One Simple Question
If you are a parent of a high school or college athlete, ask this before any signature.
Who reviewed this contract solely from my child’s legal protection standpoint.
If the answer is no one, that is the moment to pause.
A short legal review can prevent years of restriction, lost income, or disputes that follow an athlete long after their playing days are over.
Opportunity is exciting. Protection is essential.
The athletes who win long term are not just talented. They are are smart, prepared, and careful.
*At Brick Gentry, Rush Nigut and his partners represent high school, college, and professional athletes in contract review and negotiation matters. Rush and his team have advised athletes across many major sports, including football, basketball, baseball, golf, and track and field. To protect athletes and their futures, client identities are kept confidential. The firm’s experience includes representing athletes who have competed at the highest levels of college and professional sports.