New law protects athletes

by Bill Bender and Ryan Ernst
Staff Writers

James Bond did not need a license to kill.

While Agent 007 kept his identity a secret, Indiana state legislators have taken steps to keep tabs on sports agents.

On May 1, Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter implemented the Uniform Athlete Agents Act, requiring all sports agents to complete specific registration applications with the state in order to obtain a license to conduct business.

State Senator Vi Simpson, who proposed the bill, said the law, which will take effect July 1, is intended to protect student-athletes, as well as universities.

"In the past, we've seen evidence that universities have been hurt by athlete agents," Simpson said. "Many athletes get contacted by agents who do not go through the university first."

Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Mississippi and Utah all passed the bill before the Hoosier state, even though Indiana boasts three major college sports programs in Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue.

Purdue men's basketball coach Gene Keady, who recommended the bill to the legislature, said the action taken by the state is long overdue.

"I just want to see people certified to be doing something that can affect young athletes in a negative or positive way," he said. "You can't be a teacher without a teaching certificate, so you shouldn't be able to be an agent without some form of certification."

Under the Uniform Athlete Agents Act, agents cannot furnish valuable items to an athlete in an effort to sway a student-athlete into a contract with the agent. Furthermore, universities can now take action against agents who violate the law.

Carter said the addition of that provision should cut down on the number of violations made by athletes and sports agents.

"Prior to this bill the problem was in violations of sanctions affecting the eligibility of the student athlete or the university," he said. "This act targets the agents and holds them accountable for their actions."

Keady said there are many agents who do not need the stipulations to act fairly.

"The bill is basically about better educating student-athletes to realize they don't need an agent until about three years into the pros," he said. "They need to be educated on what is proper and fair.

"There are a lot of good agents out there, but they're probably the ones who are telling the kids that they don't need an agent until further on down the line."

Creating the Uniform Athlete Agents Act stemmed from a joint effort between the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and the NCAA. In order to clean up shady tactics surrounding the agent-athlete process, the act states that agents are prohibited from presenting false or misleading material to an amateur.

Simpson is a member of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform Law. While 28 states have laws regarding agents, she said the act is aimed to eliminate confusion across the country.

"It will protect the student-athlete in college and high school," Simpson said. "At least everyone will know what the rules are from state to state. It's our hope that it can protect the agents too."

Although the NCAA has had regulations concerning agents for years, violations still occur. Keady said he thinks the Uniform Athlete Agents Act should eventually put a halt to illegal agent-athlete contact because of agents' fear of losing their licenses.

"(The agents) will try to ignore it at first," he said. "But once they are caught it will be kind of difficult to ignore. Only time will tell."