Jeremiah Shields , MBA

We’re excited to welcome DeMel Turner to the Shields Athlete Management family!🤝 @DemelTurner @SirScoutsALot

We’re excited to welcome DeMel Turner to the Shields Athlete Management family!🤝 @DemelTurner @SirScoutsALot

Abdoulaye Diallo has allowed just 1 career sack in 16+ games played while consistently setting the tone up front. Set for a big season. @JuniorDiallo8

Over the past week, I have reviewed dozens of #NIL agreements across the country. The market continues to mature, but certain issues keep surfacing in negotiations. Here are some of the things I'm finding: Payment structures have grown far more sophisticated. I'm seeing more hybrid deals that combine guaranteed upfront payments with performance bonuses tied to specific deliverables and some deals that contain no guarantees whatsoever. Any non-guaranteed income could leave athletes chasing money they were orally promised. Termination clauses remain the most heavily negotiated provision. One-sided, "sole discretion," termination rights without notice or cure periods are concerning. Post-termination rights and IP ownership remain areas of emphasis. I specifically look for "perpetual" and "irrevocable" grant of rights or extended licenses in my review. Athletes should want rights (other than limited archival rights) to expire cleanly when the deal ends. These are real business contracts with real dollars and real consequences. Athletes and their advocates need to treat them that way. The deeper the NIL industry develops, the more important it is for athletes to retain experienced counsel to walk them through every material term before signing.