Four years ago, the relationship between CAA and prominent NFL agent Ben Dogra imploded, with the mega-firm firing the agent and an arbitration process over whether and to what extent he deserved further compensation unfolding. It all proceeded quietly, until recently.
Dogra won an eight-figure award over CAA, which sparked an effort by CAA to challenge the arbitration decision in court and a fight over whether the outcome of the arbitration should be confidential. On Thursday, a federal judge in Missouri ruled in Dogra’s favor.
Via the Hollywood Reporter, which recently has begun focusing on the case due to CAA’s prominence beyond the sports world, the judge found that a confidentiality agreement as to the arbitration doesn’t automatically translate to confidentiality as to the result of the arbitration, and that the public interest compels the outcome to not be shielded from view.
The fight between CAA and Dogra had been bitter and intense, with scars (and in some cases still-open wounds) on various relationships well beyond the parties involved. But Dogra has to date prevailed in a big way, securing a $12.5 million decision, plus interest that Dogra contends amounts to another $2.3 million.
Thursday’s ruling has relevant as it relates to the pending Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid collusion grievances. The NFL has successfully insisted on strict confidentiality throughout the discovery process, but the final award likely will be fair game, with the league not able to shield the outcome or any of the evidence that Kaepernick and Reid may introduce during the hearing.
