Coleman Legal Group, LLC
Phone: 470-947-2471
Legal Guidance for Professional Sports and Athletes in Georgia
Professional athletes often earn significant income over a short and unpredictable career. That combination creates unusual opportunities and unusual risks. Contracts, endorsements, taxes, business ventures, and family and estate decisions can all have lasting consequences, and a single misstep can affect a lifetime of earnings. Georgia is home to professional franchises across football, basketball, baseball, and soccer, and to many athletes who live, train, and invest in the Atlanta area.
Our firm helps professional athletes protect their careers, their income, and their long-term financial security. This guide explains the legal issues that professional athletes in Georgia should understand, from contracts and endorsements to taxes, asset protection, and estate planning, and how experienced legal counsel can help.
A Professional Athletic Career Is a Business
For most athletes, peak earning years are relatively few, which makes planning essential. Beyond performance, a successful career depends on well-negotiated contracts, smart business decisions, careful tax planning, and protection of both current income and future wealth. Treating your career as a business, and surrounding yourself with trusted professionals, helps ensure that the money you earn today supports you and your family for years to come.
Who We Represent
We work with athletes and those around them at every stage of a professional career, including:
- Professional athletes across football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and other sports
- Olympic and individual-sport athletes
- Athletes transitioning from college and NIL careers to the professional level
- Retired and former professional athletes
- Agents, agencies, and sports organizations
- Athletes’ families and family offices
Player and Team Contracts
Team contracts are often negotiated by certified agents under a league’s collective bargaining agreement, but that is only part of the picture. An attorney can review your agreements, explain the terms, and protect your interests, particularly for the many arrangements that fall outside a standard player contract. Important issues include:
Guaranteed and non-guaranteed money: Understanding what portion of a contract is truly guaranteed, and under what conditions, is essential to knowing what you can count on.
Bonuses and incentives: Signing, roster, and performance bonuses can significantly affect total compensation and should be clearly defined.
Injury and salary protection: Provisions addressing injury, illness, and salary protection can protect you if you are unable to play.
Trades, waivers, and termination: These provisions determine how and when a team may move on, and what happens to your compensation if it does.
Grievances and disputes: When a dispute arises with a team or league, understanding the applicable process is critical to protecting your rights.
Agents and Representation
Choosing the right representation is one of the most important decisions an athlete makes. Representation agreements should clearly define services, fees, duration, and how the relationship can end. In Georgia, athlete agents are regulated under the Georgia Athlete Agents Act (O.C.G.A. § 43-4A-1 et seq.) and must register with the Georgia Secretary of State, and many are also certified by the applicable players association. An attorney can review a representation agreement independently, help you understand what you are agreeing to, and confirm that your agent meets applicable requirements.
Endorsements, Sponsorships, and Marketing
Endorsement and sponsorship deals can rival or exceed playing income, but they also create real obligations. Before signing, pay close attention to these terms:
Compensation and exclusivity: Understand how and when you are paid, and whether the deal prevents you from working with competing brands.
Term and renewal: Know how long the commitment lasts and whether it renews automatically.
Usage and licensing rights: Confirm how your name, image, and likeness may be used, and for how long.
Morals and conduct clauses: Many endorsement deals allow a company to end the contract based on conduct, so these clauses deserve careful review.
Appearances and deliverables: The agreement should clearly define required appearances, social media posts, and other obligations.
Protecting Your Name, Image, and Brand
Your identity is one of your most valuable assets. In Georgia, your name and likeness are protected by a common-law right of publicity, recognized since Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Social Change, Inc. v. American Heritage Products, Inc., 250 Ga. 135 (1982). Your name, nickname, and logo can also be protected as trademarks, and your social media presence can be monetized through brand and influencer deals. Protecting these assets early helps prevent others from profiting from your identity without permission and supports your brand long after your playing days end.
Business Formation and Ventures
Many athletes build businesses and investments alongside their careers. Forming a limited liability company (LLC) under the Georgia Limited Liability Company Act (O.C.G.A. § 14-11-203), or another suitable entity, can help organize income, separate business from personal finances, and limit personal liability. Because athletes are frequently approached with investment and business opportunities, careful legal review and due diligence are essential to avoid unfavorable deals, hidden risks, and fraud.
Taxes and Financial Protection
Professional athletes often face complex tax situations, including the so-called “jock tax,” which can require paying taxes in multiple states based on where games are played. Residency planning, accurate recordkeeping, and coordination with qualified tax and financial professionals are important to managing these obligations. Just as important is guarding against financial mismanagement and fraud, which have cost many athletes a significant portion of their earnings. Clear agreements, oversight, and independent legal advice help protect what you earn.
Asset Protection, Family, and Estate Planning
Because a professional career can be short, protecting and preserving wealth is as important as earning it. Our firm helps athletes plan for the long term through several related services:
Estate planning: Wills, trusts, and related tools help protect sudden wealth, provide for your family, and ensure your wishes are carried out.
Asset protection: Thoughtful planning can help shield your assets from unnecessary risk as your career and investments grow.
Prenuptial and marital agreements: Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements can protect assets and provide clarity, and our family law experience allows us to address these needs directly.
Insurance and disability planning: Career-ending injury, disability, and loss-of-value coverage can protect your income if your career is cut short.
Business bankruptcy and restructuring: If a business venture struggles, we can advise on options, including restructuring and business bankruptcy.
Disputes and Risk Management
Even with careful planning, disputes can arise over contracts, endorsements, business deals, or representation. Addressing a problem early often prevents it from becoming a larger legal and financial issue. Depending on the situation, disputes can be resolved through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or litigation. In certain Georgia disputes involving bad faith or stubborn litigiousness, a party may be able to recover attorney’s fees and expenses (O.C.G.A. § 13-6-11).
International and Olympic Athletes
International athletes competing in the United States face additional issues, including work visas, cross-border tax questions, and the rules of national governing bodies. Individualized legal and immigration guidance is important before signing contracts or endorsement deals, so that a promising opportunity does not create unexpected legal problems.
How Coleman Legal Group Helps Professional Athletes in Georgia
Coleman Legal Group, LLC helps professional athletes and their families protect their careers and their wealth throughout metro Atlanta and across Georgia. We review and negotiate contracts and endorsement deals, advise on representation agreements, form businesses and protect brands, coordinate on tax and financial matters, and handle estate planning, asset protection, prenuptial agreements, and disputes. Because our firm also practices in business, estate planning, family law, and business bankruptcy, we can support athletes across the full range of decisions a career brings. Led by attorney Danny Coleman, MBA, we bring a strong business and finance perspective, helping clients understand not only the legal terms of a deal but the numbers and long-term consequences behind it. Based in Alpharetta, we serve professional athletes across Georgia.
Call 470-947-2471 now to speak with a Coleman Legal Group attorney about your professional sports career.
If you are a professional athlete or family member with a contract, endorsement, business, or planning concern, our attorneys and staff are ready to help. Coleman Legal Group, LLC proudly serves clients in Alpharetta, Atlanta, and throughout Georgia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a lawyer if I already have an agent?
Often, yes. Your agent may negotiate your team contract, but an attorney can independently review your agreements, handle endorsements and business deals, address taxes, estate planning, and asset protection, and look out for your interests across the board.
Does my agent have to be registered in Georgia?
Generally, yes. Under the Georgia Athlete Agents Act, athlete agents must register with the Georgia Secretary of State, and many are also certified by the applicable players association.
Should I form a business entity?
Many athletes do. A Georgia LLC or other entity can help organize income, separate business from personal finances, and limit personal liability. Whether it fits depends on your situation.
How can I protect my earnings during a short career?
Planning is key. Estate planning, asset protection, appropriate insurance, and disciplined financial oversight can help preserve wealth well beyond your playing years.
Do I need a prenuptial agreement?
It depends on your circumstances, but for many athletes a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement is a valuable planning and asset-protection tool. We can advise you and prepare one if appropriate.
What is the “jock tax”?
It refers to state taxes owed based on where athletes play, which can mean filing and paying taxes in several states. Planning and careful recordkeeping help manage these obligations.
What should I watch for in an endorsement deal?
Pay close attention to compensation, exclusivity, term and renewal, usage rights, morals clauses, and required appearances before you sign.
When should I involve an attorney?
Before signing any significant contract or endorsement, choosing representation, entering a business venture, or making major financial and estate decisions. Early guidance is almost always less expensive than fixing a problem later.
This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws and league rules change and every situation is different. If you have questions about your specific circumstances, please consult a licensed Georgia attorney.
Updated: 2026-07-19
