This page is for the person on the other side of the question: the family friend, the trainer, the former player, the marketing consultant or the lawyer who is helping an athlete and wants to know whether the law calls them an agent. The answer turns on two things, what you do and whether you are paid for it, and the texts are precise about both.
Who the acts cover
The Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act, § 2(2), defines an athlete agent as an individual who:
- recruits or solicits a student athlete to enter an agency contract;
- for compensation, procures or negotiates professional employment for the athlete;
- for compensation or in anticipation of compensation, advises on "finances, business pursuits, or career management decisions," or manages business affairs "by providing assistance with bills, payments, contracts, or taxes"; or
- gives consideration, advice or management in anticipation of representing the athlete.
The 2000 Act's definition, still the law in most states, is narrower: it centres on the agency contract and on procuring pro employment. Either way, "student athlete" includes college and, under the Revised Act expressly, interscholastic athletes, and "agency contract" covers endorsement contracts as well as pro contracts.
Who is outside
- Anyone acting solely for a professional team.
- A licensed, registered or certified professional, the Revised Act lists attorneys, financial planners and accountants among others, providing services "customarily provided by members of the profession." The exclusion is lost if the professional recruits or solicits the athlete into an agency contract, for compensation procures or negotiates pro employment, or charges the athlete "by a different method than for an individual who is not a student athlete." A lawyer billing an athlete by the hour for a review is outside; one taking a percentage of the deal has changed method. The 2000 Act and Florida's law have no professional exclusion at all.
- Family. SPARTA, the 2000 Act and Florida exclude "a spouse, parent, sibling, grandparent, or guardian" by name. The Revised Act has no named exemption; instead it treats advice "in a family, coaching, or social situation" as outside unless the adviser is paid by an agent, and its comment says a parent advising their child is not an agent. Texas defines the agent by compensation, so unpaid help by anyone is outside. California exempts a person acting solely for their spouse, child, ward or grandchild from most sections.
What registration takes
Under the Revised Act, § 4, "an individual may not act as an athlete agent in this state without holding a certificate of registration." If the athlete initiated the contact, the agent may act, except sign a contract, by applying within seven days. The application discloses identity, education, training and experience, prior registrations and any discipline, and in several states requires a background check, a fee and a bond. A certificate runs for a term and is renewed. Registration is state by state; the uniform acts allow a state to accept another state's registration in some cases, and the contract the athlete signs must list every state in which the agent is registered.
What the contract must contain
Section 10 of the Revised Act: a signed record stating the states in which the agent is registered; the fee and the method of calculating it, and any other pay the agent receives; any person not named who will be paid because of the signing; the reimbursable expenses; the services; and the duration. It carries the warning in capitals: that the athlete may lose eligibility, that both athlete and agent must notify the athletic director within 72 hours or before the next game, and that the athlete may cancel within 14 days. A separate signed acknowledgment of the eligibility consequences is required, a parent or guardian signs for a minor, and a contract missing any of this is voidable by the athlete. The 14-day right cannot be waived; Texas gives 16, New York 5, Ohio 10 and California 15 days.
The notices
The agent notifies the school before contacting an enrolled athlete, or within 10 days if the athlete initiated; both agent and athlete notify the athletic director within 72 hours of signing or before the next event. SPARTA requires the same 72-hour notice at the federal level.
What happens without it
A contract signed by an unregistered agent is void and the agent returns the consideration. The school may sue; under the Revised Act the athlete may too, and a liable agent forfeits the fee. The uniform text sets a civil penalty up to $50,000, leaves each state to make a violation a misdemeanor or felony, and names the prohibited conduct: false inducements, gifts that cost eligibility (unless the agent notifies the athletic director within 72 hours and the athlete acknowledges in a record, the 2019 amendment), initiating contact while unregistered, predating or postdating. SPARTA adds federal exposure: the FTC's January 2026 blog put its penalty at up to $53,088 per violation.
By state: the ones that differ
| State | What is different |
|---|---|
| Texas (Occupations Code ch. 2051) | Registration with the Secretary of State. A "professional athlete agent" registration requires a players' association certification. The required notice gives a 16-day cancellation right. The agent files the contract with the Secretary of State and the athletic director within 10 days. Administrative penalties up to $25,000, or $50,000 for certain violations; a Class A misdemeanor, or a third-degree felony for giving things of value. The definition turns on compensation; whether it reaches NIL-only representation was not confirmed. |
| Florida (§§ 468.45 et seq.) | A licence from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, not a registration. § 468.453(8) requires the licence to represent an intercollegiate athlete on NIL contracts. The family exclusion is by name; there is no attorney exclusion. A contract with an unlicensed person is void and unenforceable. |
| California (Miller-Ayala Act) | Its own act, never the uniform one. Covers agent, endorsement, financial-services and pro-services contracts. Attorneys and other licensed professionals are exempt except to the extent they recruit or solicit or negotiate pro employment for compensation; licensed talent agencies are exempt with exceptions; family acting only for their own child is exempt from most sections. The NIL statute requires representation to come from persons licensed by the state. |
| Louisiana (Act 895 of 2026) | Brought NIL agents under the athlete-agent law, effective June 9, 2026, with a registration deadline of August 1, 2026, a background check and pre-registration education, and a right for athletes to sue for damages, fees and forfeiture of the agent's pay. |
| Connecticut | Repealed its version of the uniform act effective January 1, 2018; its earlier law was captioned "Athlete not required to utilize athlete agent." |
The full picture, state by state, with the registrar, the fee, the window and the penalty read from each statute, is on the registration-by-state table; it shows fifteen jurisdictions with no working registration and four cancellation windows that are not 14 days.
Beyond the states
Three other certifications sit on top. The NCAA certifies agents who represent men's basketball players testing the draft. Each pro union certifies agents for its league, and no one else may negotiate with a club: the what-an-agent-does page lists what each requires. And the federal Protect College Sports Act, passed by the Senate on September 28, 2026, would add a registration requirement and a 5% cap on college endorsement fees; it is held at the House desk as of October 13, 2026.
How Leave fits
Leave is not an agent of any kind and registers nowhere: it does not recruit, solicit, negotiate, manage money or sign for anyone, and takes 0% of any deal. It is software that explains a contract, a representation agreement included, in plain words, so an athlete can see whether the registration states, the fee and the cancellation right are stated before signing. It is not legal advice; a state's own text, linked above, is the authority on who must register there.
Questions athletes ask
Who counts as an athlete agent?
Under the Revised Uniform Act, a person who recruits or solicits a student athlete into an agency contract; who for compensation procures or negotiates professional employment; who for compensation or in anticipation of it advises on finances, business pursuits or career management or manages business affairs by helping with bills, payments, contracts or taxes; or who gives consideration or advice in anticipation of representing the athlete. The 2000 Act's definition is narrower, centred on agency contracts and pro employment.
Who does not have to register?
A person acting solely for a professional team. A licensed professional, such as an attorney, financial planner or accountant, providing the services their profession customarily provides, unless they recruit the athlete into an agency contract, negotiate pro employment for a fee, or charge athletes differently from other clients. Under SPARTA, the 2000 Act and Florida's law, a spouse, parent, sibling, grandparent or guardian is excluded by name; the Revised Act treats unpaid family advice as outside it.
What happens if an unregistered person signs an athlete?
The contract is void and the agent must return what they were paid. The school, and under the Revised Act the athlete, may sue; a liable agent forfeits the fee. The uniform text sets a civil penalty up to $50,000 and leaves each state to set a misdemeanor or felony. Texas sets administrative penalties up to $25,000, or $50,000 for certain violations, and a Class A misdemeanor rising to a third-degree felony for giving things of value.
Do I have to register in every state?
In each state where you act as an agent. Registration is state by state; the uniform acts let a state accept another state's registration in some cases, and the agent's contract must list every state in which the agent is registered. Texas also requires a "professional athlete agent" to hold a players' association certification.
Does registration apply to NIL-only agents?
In many states, yes. The Revised Act's definition covers endorsement contracts and business management for compensation. Florida requires a state athlete-agent licence to represent a college athlete on NIL contracts; California's NIL law says representation an athlete obtains must come from persons licensed by the state; Louisiana brought NIL agents under its act in June 2026 with a registration deadline of August 1, 2026. Texas's definition centres on pro-team employment, and whether it reaches NIL-only representation was not confirmed.
Is there a federal registry?
Not yet. SPARTA does not register agents. The Protect College Sports Act, passed by the Senate on September 28, 2026 and held at the House desk, would require agents to register and cap college endorsement fees at 5%; its summary describes registration with a state. The NCAA runs its own certification for agents of men's basketball players, and each pro union certifies agents for its league.
Be your own agent. Leave.