Timeline Assignment

By AJJordan

  • 1. Early Beginnings

  • The Founding of the NFL

    Was originally named the American Professional Football Association and was not renamed until 1922 to the NFL.

  • First NFL Player to Hire an Agent

    Red Grange was the first ever football player to hire an agent, Charles C. "Cash and Carry" Pyle, to negotiate his performance contract
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    Early Athlete Representation

    Athletes used to be represented by individuals who were family members, lawyers, and even friends instead of hiring a professional agent.

  • NFLPA is Founded

    The NFL Players Association is put together.

  • 2. Significant Developments

  • John Mackey vs. NFL

    The outcome of this case led to free agency awareness and started the struggle for athlete advocacy.

  • SLA is Established

    The Sports Lawyers Association (SLA) is formed to educate and connect sports law professionals, which includes agents.

  • NFL Recognizes NFLPA

    The NFL recognized the NFLPA as an organization and gave the player the power to bargain their contracts.

  • Technology Advancement

    Contract databases could be found online.

  • 3. Key Events

  • The Certified Contract Advisor Program

    The NFLPA decided that professional agents were needed, so they established the Certified Contract Advisor Program. This required players to be represented by professional agents. Individuals who desired to be agents were required to pass an exam and become registered agents.

  • New Certification Criteria

    NFLPA modified the requirements for an individual to become an agent. They are now required to have a postgraduate degree or at least seven years of experience in negotiating.
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    Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport

    Peer-reviewed research having to do with the legal and business side of athletic representation is published by The Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport.

  • Introduction of NFL Salary Cap

    As a part of the Collective bargaining deal that was introduced in 1993, a salary cap was instated. This affected how agents would negotiate contracts and deals because now they also had to consider the team's cap space.

  • Strengthening of Certification and Compliance Rules

    DeMaurice Smith, the Executive Director of the NFLPA, added new obligations for agents, such as ethical and fiduciary responsibilities.
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    New Certification Fee

    The NFLPA increased the fee for certification applications to $2,500 to ensure that they only have qualified individuals applying.

  • NFL Agents Today

    Today, agents use new advanced platforms and NIL to handle contracts and brand deals that their athletes might be interested in.