(A) The Ohio athletic commission may, except as provided in division (B) of this section, refuse to grant or renew a registration, or may suspend or revoke a registration of an athlete agent upon proof satisfactory to the commission that the athlete agent or an employee or representative of the athlete agent has done any of the following:

Terms Used In Ohio Code 4771.18

  • Another: when used to designate the owner of property which is the subject of an offense, includes not only natural persons but also every other owner of property. See Ohio Code 1.02
  • Athlete: means either of the following:

    (1) A student enrolled in any educational institution or institution of higher education in this state, who participates, or is or may become eligible to participate, in any athletic sporting event, contest, exhibition, or program at the educational institution or institution of higher education;

    (2) A student who meets one of the following criteria:

    (a) Resides in this state, is eligible to participate in an amateur athletic program, and has informed an educational institution or institution of higher education, in writing, of the student's intent to participate in that institution's amateur athletic program;

    (b) Does not reside in this state but is eligible to participate in an amateur athletic program and has informed, in writing, an educational institution or institution of higher education in this state of the student's intent to participate in that institution's amateur athletic program. See Ohio Code 4771.01

  • Athlete agent: means any person who directly or indirectly recruits or solicits any athlete to enter into an agent contract or professional sports services contract, or who for a fee procures, offers, promises, or attempts to obtain employment for an athlete with a professional sports team, or as a professional athlete, or otherwise attempts to market an athlete or an athlete's reputation. See Ohio Code 4771.01
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Embezzlement: In most states, embezzlement is defined as theft/larceny of assets (money or property) by a person in a position of trust or responsibility over those assets. Embezzlement typically occurs in the employment and corporate settings. Source: OCC
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
  • Rule: includes regulation. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59

(1) Made false or misleading statements of a material nature in an application for registration as an athlete agent;

(2) Been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense in connection with the person‘s service as an athlete agent in this or another state;

(3) Been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense involving illegal gambling;

(4) Engaged in conduct that has a significant adverse impact on the applicant’s credibility, integrity, or competence to serve in a fiduciary capacity;

(5) Misappropriated funds or engaged in other specific conduct that would render the applicant unfit to serve in a fiduciary capacity, including being convicted of or pleading guilty to offenses involving embezzlement, theft, or fraud;

(6) Violated a provision of this chapter or a rule adopted under this chapter.

(B) The commission shall not refuse to issue a registration to an applicant because of a conviction of or plea of guilty to an offense unless the refusal is in accordance with section 9.79 of the Revised Code.

(C) Upon receiving a complaint of a violation of this chapter or a rule adopted under it, the commission shall conduct an investigation of the complaint. If the commission finds reasonable cause to believe a violation occurred, the commission shall conduct a hearing in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code to determine if a violation occurred. If the commission finds a violation occurred, the commission may suspend or revoke, or refuse to issue or renew, the registration of an athlete agent for such period of time as the commission finds appropriate.

Upon completion of an investigation, if the commission finds no reasonable grounds to believe a violation occurred, the commission shall certify without a hearing that no violation occurred. The commission shall serve the certification on all parties addressed in the complaint by certified mail, return receipt requested. The certification shall be considered a final resolution of the matter if no objection to the certification is filed. A party involved in the complaint may file an objection to the certification with the commission within ten days after the date the certification is mailed. If a party files an objection to the certification within the prescribed period, the commission, within its discretion, may conduct a hearing in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code to determine if a violation occurred.

Last updated October 9, 2021 at 5:12 AM

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