When should an athlete have a lawyer review a contract?
Short answer: Before signing anything that controls your name, image, likeness, or time — endorsement/NIL deals, representation agreements, collective agreements with revenue-share terms, and any appearance or licensing deal with exclusivity.
Before signing anything that controls your name, image, likeness, or time — which in practice means: any endorsement or NIL deal, any agency or representation agreement (these bind you the longest and are hardest to exit), any collective agreement with revenue-share terms, and any appearance or licensing deal that includes exclusivity.
The most expensive mistakes we see are signed representation agreements with auto-renewal and broad commission clauses, and endorsement deals granting perpetual usage rights for a one-time fee. A review before signing is a scoped, fixed-fee engagement; unwinding a bad deal afterward can cost multiples of that.
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Updated July 2, 2026. General information only—not legal advice for your specific situation. For advice on your facts, book a 15-minute case assessment.