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It’s been some time since I’ve last posted an article, but this couldn’t have been a better time for me to vent. In light of the recent happenings with athletes and their run ins with the law, I have come to the simple conclusion that the U.S legal system is an absolute joke.

Yesterday, Shonn Greene signed a 4-year deal with the New York Jets.  I am not a Jets fan and never followed the former Iowa RB closely, so why am I even bringing this up?  It’s because I also happened to come across an excellent post yesterday, concerning the structuring of NFL player contracts for those selected in Day 2 of the draft (rounds 3-7).  Shonn fits that category, as he was selected in the 3rd round of the 2009 NFL Draft, even though many expected the Doak Award Award winner to be off the boards a day earlier.

With the average NFL career lasting about three and a half years, players have to worry about their post-playing careers.  Athletes often seek employment in the sports industry, because most of the time it’s all they’ve ever known.  Many agents make a long-term commitment to their clients by continuing to advise them when their playing days are over.  Likewise, player associations play key roles in many athletes’ lives after retirement.  The NFLPA is going the extra distance to help some of their players prepare for employment with the Internship Program for Players.

Last year, during the off-season, I began a series on the Great Games played by the Tennessee Volunteers football team over the many years as seen through my eyes.  As I am wont to do, I seem to have lost my focus and have not exactly done a capital job of keep that series going.  Imagine that.

• Michigan is going to play at Kansas on December 19. Not only is this a tough matchup based on the fact that Kansas is going to be one of the nation's top teams next season, but Allen Fieldhouse is one of the toughest venues to play at in all of college basketball. This game is part of a home-and-home series, meaning Kansas will come to Ann Arbor in the 2010-11 season. (HT: UM Hoops)
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Jack Bechta is the head honcho at JB Sports (Jack Bechta and Associates).  Jack has been negotiating deals for professional football players since the early 1990s, and still boasts a respectable client roster to this day.  In his time as an NFLPA Certified Advisor, Jack has negotiated over 200 contracts for his players.  The man has seen a lot in his time, and has decided to give some of his knowledge away with his column at The National Football Post.  His most recent article will make many peoples’ jaws drop, but it is an excellent foray into the world of sports agency, directl

The struggling economy caused a serious financial hit in many sectors. Knowing this, some people still seem to believe that the sports industry is immune to the rigid economy.  Others claim that fans will not attend games or watch sports when athlete salaries remain so high. The average NFL salary rose to around $4 million dollars this past season. In the NBA, attendance was actually up this past season. Although numbers were only 1% higher, this was still the third highest attendance numbers in NBA history.

After last night, I’m just glad that the Canes are still alive…

A friend of mine recently told me to connect with another young man doing it big in this industry.  His name is J.I. Halsell, and has four years of experience working with NFL contracts.  Halsell spent 2 seasons as the Salary Cap Analyst for the Washington Redskins after working for 2 years with the NFL’s labor relations department, the Management Council.  He now has a blog called Inside The Cap, which looks like a good addition to my long list of RSS feeds.

Yesterday, I reported that Athletes First led the pack of agencies in terms of number of clients drafted this year with a total of 16 players taken in the 2 days of the NFL Draft.  Its President/CEO is David Dunn, who I have discussed on the blog a long time ago and recently had the privilege of meeting at the 2008 Princeton Sports Law Symposium.  He recently joined Brian Berger on Sports Business Radio.  To hear the segment with Dunn, skip to about the 25 minute mark.

• The design for Michigan's basketball practice facility may be approved in July if everything goes according to plan.
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• Michigan second baseman and captain Kevin Cislo may be out for the season with a shoulder injury.
• Two of Michigan's senior basketball players from last season are moving on to a life without basketball. David Merritt is hoping to launch a business venture in Ann Arbor this fall, and C.J. Lee has another year left in school and is doing an internship this summer.
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• Assistant athletic director for football Scott Draper confirmed that Michigan is in talks to schedule a game with UMass. If scheduled, however, that game would not be the 2010 season opener, as originally reported.
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• Michigan is in negotiations with the University of Massachusetts to schedule a game between the two schools to open the 2010 football season. The 2010 opener will be the first game after the completion of the Michigan Stadium renovation, and although I would like to see a high-profile team face U-M to christen the project, that will probably never happen. Michigan is scheduled to play an FCS team this fall (Delaware State), and in the future it will be rare for a non-conference schedule to include four FBS teams. Michigan is resistant to scheduling home-and-home series because it doesn't want to lose the revenue of an extra game at the Big House.
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This is a guest contribution from Gene Goodsell.  Gene has a law degree with honours, a business degree and is currently Manager of Legal & Business Affairs for one of the leading international sports management agencies in Australia, as well as being a football agent.

With the impending launch of the NRL (National Rugby League) USA next year, now is an ideal time to examine the differences and similarities between the NFL and the NRL.

Apart from Canadian football, rugby league is the sport which is the most similar to American football.