FSU College of Law Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Society 5th Annual Conference

I look forward to speaking at the Florida State University College of Law Entertainment, Arts, & Sports Law Society's (EASL) 5th Annual Conference this Saturday, February 23, 2008. The conference will commence at 11:00 a.m. in the Florida State College of Law Rotunda. It will consist of discussions comprised of entertainment, sports, and arts lawyers, managers record label owners, industry professionals, professors, and agents.

I'll serve on a panel with former Baltimore Ravens pro bowl linebacker Peter Boulware (the 4th overall pick in the 1997 NFL draft), former Liberty University athletic director Thom Park, and current FSU compliance director and former Notre Dame running back Bob Minnix to discuss the topic of "criminal and league resolutions to athletes on the stand." We'll examine athletes getting in trouble with the law, both on the college and pro levels, and examine how pro leagues and the NCAA have tended to react to their troubles.

One specific topic I suspect will be raised is how differently the NFL treated the respective legal problems of Ray Lewis, a former teammate of Boulware, and Michael Vick. Lewis was indicted for two murders in 2000, and yet was not suspended by the NFL, nor was he suspended when he pled guilty to obstruction of justice relating to those charges. In contrast, Vick was told he would be suspended even before he pled guilty to the dog fighting charges. We took up that topic and its connection to the new NFL player conduct policy in a post last August.

Congrats to the EASL's 2007-08 Executive Board for putting this conference together. For a list of other speakers, click here. It should be a great event and if you are in the Tallahassee area, I hope that you can attend.

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