Winston & Strawn’s Jeffrey Kessler Profiled in the New York Times

Jeffrey Kessler was profiled in the August 27, 2014, issue of the New York Times. The article, “A Legal Titan of Sports Labor Disputes Sets His Sights on the N.C.A.A.: Jeffrey Kessler Envisions Open Market for College Athletes,” discusses the lawsuit Winston & Strawn, led by Mr. Kessler, filed against the NCAA and the major college athletics conferences. By removing the antitrust violations that restrict colleges from deciding how to compensate college football and basketball players for their services, he says schools can decide the fair and appropriate way to take care of their players.

Mr. Kessler successfully negotiated the free agency systems in the NFL and the NBA. Regarding the National College Athletic Association, the New York Times states that Mr. Kessler may be the “N.C.A.A’s most formidable opponent of all.” The case, filed in federal court on behalf of a former Clemson football player Martin Jenkins, is what Mr. Kessler refers to as “the freedom case.”

Mr. Kessler leads Winston & Strawn’s antitrust and competition practice and has long been drawn to the plight of athletes, a group he believes to have been historically disadvantaged.

Jeffrey Kessler is a partner in Winston & Strawn’s New York office. He serves as chair of the firm’s antitrust/competition practice and co-chair of the sports law group.