PGA golfer Billy Andrade graciously addressed the Connecticut Bar Association’s Sports & Entertainment Law Section at a reception at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell. Andrade made some interesting points about the interplay between sports lawyers and sports lawyers in professional golf:
- Andrade said that Grant Hill’s contract changed the landscape for many sports, including golf. Hill, rather than hiring an agent to negotiate his contract (and paying an agent a percentage of his earnings), hired an attorney to negotiate the contract. Hill paid his attorney on an hourly basis for negotiating the contract, thus saving a significant amount of money.
- Many professional golfers rely upon their agents to involve an attorney when necessary. Andrade believes that an independent attorney can potentially be more effective and protect the athlete to a greater extent than an attorney essentially working on the same team as the agent.
Andrade also discussed his successful charity that he founded with Brad Faxon, the Billy Andrade-Brad Faxon Charities for Children. Best of luck to Billy in the Travelers Championship.
Leave a Reply