Brandon Essig Interviewed for Article on Criminal Law and College Sports

June 20, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (June 21, 2018) — Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC partner Brandon K. Essig is featured in a new article in College Athletics and the Law, a monthly journal for college athletics administrators.

The article, titled “Heed the warnings presented by the growing intersection of criminal law and college sports,” features a Q&A with Essig discussing the legal implications of recent scandals and allegations in college sports, ranging from bribery to cheating incidents.

“The possibility now exists that essentially any violation of NCAA rules that involves the exchange of money to facilitate the violation has the potential of becoming the basis of a criminal charge,” said Essig. “The best thing a school can do is to continue to proactively work on NCAA compliance.”

The article published in the June 2018 of College Athletics and the Law.

Essig is a member of the firm’s NCAA Compliance and Investigations practice and is a former college athlete himself. (He was an Academic All-Conference tight end on the University of West Alabama football team.)

Essig joined Lightfoot after nearly eight years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Alabama where he tried multiple felony jury trials a year, including public corruption, money laundering and various fraud cases. Prior to his time at the Department of Justice, Essig served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. His experience also includes serving in the legal department of a major defense contractor.