This is my first official 2018 NFL Mock draft. Feel free to comment, or absolutely berate me in the hallways, if you hate this draft. Based on what I’ve researched, and film I've watched on these players, this is my best guess at how the first round could unfold on April 26th. 1.) Cleveland... Continue Reading →
The Tyrod benching: A lasting bruise for the Bills
Following the Buffalo Bills’ week eleven loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Bills “fans” and analysts around the league seemed to walk around with the words “I told you so” stamped across their foreheads. The city was overflowing with an irritating number of Monday-morning-quarterbacks critical of Coach Sean McDermott’s decision to bench quarterback Tyrod Taylor... Continue Reading →
Hey, NCAA, This is Your Fault
NCAA Division I men’s basketball had a tough week. On Tuesday, Louisville was officially stripped of 123 wins from 2012-2015, including its 2013 National Championship, after an NCAA investigation discovered the program funded the services of strippers and prostitutes for current and prospective student-athletes with university funds. Ironically, this penalty had nothing to do with the... Continue Reading →
“USA! USA! USA!”
At 3:00 am, the chant reverberated through my home. As a family with seven hockey playing kids, five of whom are girls, we have been closely following the USA women's ice hockey team. As the game progressed and Canada took the lead into the third period, we were riveted to the screen. When Monique Lamoureux... Continue Reading →
UB Law Celebrates March Madness!
Hello Everyone, This is a public service announcment! The UB Law School Library is hosting March Madness on the first full day of the tournament, Thursday, March 15th. The broadcast will begin in the Courtroom around noon, and move to Room 543A inside the Library sometime during the afternoon due to another event in the... Continue Reading →
Russian Curler Tests Positive at Winter Olympics–Seriously
Two athletes have tested positive for banned substances thus far at the Pyeongchang Olympics, a short-track speedskater and a curler. Yes, a curler. Doping is not uncommon in short-track, but it is unheard of in curling. Nevertheless, while the second doper’s sport may be surprising, his country is not. Alexander Krushelnytsky is from Russia. In December... Continue Reading →
Cooperation, not Confrontation: the NBA model for dispute resolution
As the NFL enters its offseason with declining viewership and continuing player disciplinary issues, the NBA's All-Star weekend arrives amid record viewership and a player-referee summit. The NBA's mediation-type model stands in stark contrast to the heavy-handed NFL disciplinary procedures that have been criticized by players, fans and owners alike the last few years. The NBA's... Continue Reading →
Pyeongchang Update: The Hypervigilance of Olympic Trademark Protection
The Opening Ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics kicked off in Pyeongchang a little over a week ago. Other than a cafeteria spat between a Canadian and a Russian official concerning Russia’s systematic doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, these games have been controversy free—at least in Korea. While not new, one recurring legal issue with... Continue Reading →
Re-Set, Replay & Rewind: It’s time to Revisit Public Policy Goals Underlying Regulation in Sports
This past week, I was privileged to serve on a panel at the inaugural Diversity & Inclusion Conference hosted by the Mid-American Conference. Throughout the day, multiple administrators and several former student-athletes articulated the challenge of seeing the student-athlete as a person, a unique individual, rather than as a performer at a specific position or... Continue Reading →
“Give me one minute with that b******!”[1]
“I want to ask you to, as part of the sentencing, to grant me five minutes in a locked room with this demon. Would you do that?” This is the plea from a father, whose three daughters are victims of disgraced former USA Gymnastics National team doctor and Michigan State University team physician and professor,... Continue Reading →