Sports

Experience

  • Professional Sports Leagues

    • Cohen Private Ventures in its sale of the Syracuse Mets and Brooklyn Cyclones to Diamond Baseball Holdings, an organization that owns and operates select minor league clubs affiliated with Major League Baseball.
    • The National Football League in its recently approved policy allowing private equity funds to purchase non-controlling interests of up to 10% of an NFL club.
    • The National Football League in winning summary judgment against retired players' publicity-rights claims.
    • The National Football League in independent investigations into allegations of tanking made against the Cleveland Browns and allegations of tanking and tampering made against the Miami Dolphins and their owner Stephen Ross.
    • The National Football League in various matters related to possible owner misconduct, including an independent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct.
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  • Collegiate and Amateur Sports

    • The Ohio State University in an investigation into alleged mishandling of reports of domestic violence by Urban Meyer, the school’s football coach.
    • Syracuse University in winning dismissal of a defamation action brought in New York state court by former ball boys for the University’s basketball team.
    • Syracuse University in investigations by the United States Attorney’s Office and the Special Committee of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees, which arose as a result of allegations of sexual abuse made against Bernie Fine, former Associate Head Coach of the University’s men’s basketball team. These investigations ended without any charges being brought.
    • A leading university’s head football coach in a national antitrust class action lawsuit.
  • Media, Broadcasting and Entertainment

    • DAZN, the world’s leading sports entertainment platform, in merger control and foreign investment aspects of its $2.2 billion acquisition of Foxtel Group.
    • Former Fox executive Hernan Lopez, in a seven-week federal criminal trial involving allegations of fraud and bribery, in which the judge ordered the acquittal of the client.
    • Fox Corporation in successfully defeating a preliminary injunction motion in a trademark and false advertising lawsuit brought by the owners of the 1980s United States Football League against the league and team names of the new USFL.
    • Ariel Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, in Endeavor’s $13 billion take-private sale to Silver Lake.
    • NBC Universal and Rory McIlroy in the successful settlement of trademark infringement and antitrust claims brought by GolfClub LLC over the use of the trademark GOLFPASS.
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  • Sports Equipment and Apparel

    • StockX in a dispute brought by Nike for alleged trademark infringement related to StockX’s Vault Nike NFTs.
    • Adidas America in obtaining summary judgment, and an affirmance on appeal, dismissing civil RICO claims related to payments received by high-school basketball players and their family members.
    • S&S Activewear, a Clayton, Dubilier & Rice portfolio company, in its acquisition of TSC Apparel, a leading national distributor of blank apparel and accessories.
    • S&S Activewear, a Clayton, Dubilier & Rice portfolio company and a leading American imprintable apparel wholesale company, in its acquisition of TSF Sportswear, a multi-line wholesaler.
    • Kelso & Company in its sale of Augusta Sportswear Brands to Platinum Equity.
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  • Fantasy Sports and Gaming

    • DraftKings in a right of publicity action against MLB Players in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Southern District of New York involving the use of players images in the DraftKings Sportsbook and on DraftKings’ social media.
    • FanDuel in defending Attorney General actions seeking to prohibit the fantasy sports contests it sponsors as illegal gambling.
    • FanDuel in a review of the company’s internal controls, standards, and practices.
    • Management of Sky Bet in the sale of a controlling stake in the company by Sky to funds advised by CVC, in a transaction valuing Sky Bet at £800 million.
    • One of the two leading fantasy sports companies in defending against Attorney General actions seeking to prohibit the fantasy sports contests it sponsors as illegal gambling.
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  • Fitness

    • Gympass, a corporate wellbeing platform, in the acquisition of Trainiac, a leading one-on-one personal training fitness platform.
    • Winged Foot Golf Club, along with certain present and former members of the Board of Directors of the Winged Foot Holding Corporation, in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits pending in the Southern District of New York.