Around the Sports Law World: Alvin Kamara, Vanessa Bryant, Nick Kyrgios & Florida Sports Betting

Dan Wallach and Dan Lust are at the epicenter of Sports Law. This episode is the Around the Horn equivalent of the intersection of Sports and the Law.

Not so similar to Around the Horn, we start with final thoughts on the Deshaun Watson saga. (1:05) NFL and the NFLPA came to an agreement on the Watson punishment with an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine. Arbitrator Peter Harvey did not have to issue a decision and there will not be Federal Court proceedings. Is the punishment too light? Should the games Watson missed last year count as mitigation for his overall suspension?

Alvin Kamara has been accused of assault and the alleged victim is being represented by Tony Buzbee. (10:35) Kamara was charged with a felony battery from the incident. The injuries sustained here are serious and there is video evidence of Kamara striking the victim. Buzbee is going to keep the pressure on Kamara and his legal team. The NFL has not stated whether they are investigating Kamara yet. The precedent shows that Kamara could be facing a 6-game suspension.

Aqib Talib was going to be Amazon's in studio analyst for their new NFL broadcasting platform. (20:25) Talib has since stepped away from this role amidst his brother being accused of and charged with murder. Talib has not been charged with anything but only involved in the brawl prior to the gun shots.

Nick Kyrgios is being sued for defamation by a female fan who was removed from a match Kyrgios was playing. (23:38) Kyrgios told the ump that there was a woman in the crowd who was distracting him while he was serving, and she was removed. Kyrgios accused her of being very intoxicated. However, the woman claimed to have only had one drink and was able to return to her seat after approximately 15 minutes. The woman bringing this suit is also an attorney. Kyrgios claimed she had "700 drinks" but does that rise to the level of a factual assertion?

Vanessa Bryant is finishing her invasion of privacy trial against LA County Sheriff and Fire Departments. (32:26) Vanessa is claiming that the police officers and firefighters took pictures of the helicopter crash and disseminated them unlawfully. Since recording this the jury deliberated and awarded $31 million to the plaintiffs, which was $$16 million to Vanessa and $15 million to Chris Chester who was another family member of a victim.

Dennis Rodman has stated he would go to Russia to discuss the release of Brittney Griner. (45:35) The Biden administration stated that they believed any other type of negotiation would hinder the current talks between D.C. and Russia. Since that statement Rodman has reversed course and said he would not go.

Florida Sports Betting was legal for a brief period with their online sports betting compact, but a D.C. Federal Judge overturned that citing a violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. (49:35) The first briefs have been filed in appeal of that D.C. federal court decision. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing the appeal where the Seminole Tribe is arguing that the compact is not reviewable under sovereign immunity. The U.S. Department of Justice has filed an opening brief on behalf of the Department of the Interior, who approved the compact, arguing that the compact never authorized online sports betting and that the compact allocated jurisdiction from Florida state authorities to tribal authorities to determine and regulate how betting outside of Indian land is to take place. Unless there is a ballet initiative, online sports betting might not be possible until 2024 while this appeal is ongoing.

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Dan Wallach (@WallachLegal) | Dan Lust (https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/condetrimental/support