Don Jackson is the Principal and Founder of The Sports Group, a boutique sports law practice. Since the Group’s founding, Jackson’s involvement in sports has been extensive. Since 1992, Jackson has represented draft picks in the NFL, NBA, MLB and CFL.  Further, he has represented several Olympians, FIFA World Cup participants and a former 200-meter World Champion. In 1992, he negotiated a contract with the Atlanta Hawks to stage an NBA  preseason basketball game between the Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers in Montgomery, Alabama; Jackson served as Promoter for the game. He has counselled numerous professional athletes, scouts, and coaches in legal matters. He has represented athletes in five major professional sports on legal issues, administrative actions, and disciplinary proceedings, including an appearance before FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (Zurich, Switzerland).  

Jackson, a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, is a former collegiate pitcher and the author of Fourth Down and Twenty-five Years to Go: The African American Athlete and the Justice System (2007). He is called upon quite frequently by the sports media and has appeared as a  commentator on sports law issues on ESPN, ESPN Radio, and MSNBC, among others. The print media frequently consult him on similar topics, and he has been quoted extensively in The New York Times, ESPN Magazine, the New York Post, the Washington Post, USA Today, the Louisville Courier-Journal, Huffington Post, National Public Radio, and the Los Angeles Times, among others. Jackson has been an Adjunct Associate Professor of Sports Law at the Cumberland School of Law since 2012.   During his career, Jackson has represented individuals and entities in sporting matters in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe.  His clients have participated in American football, basketball, baseball, hockey, international football (soccer), tennis and athletics (track and field).   Jackson is widely recognized as an expert in international sports law. He has represented numerous international athletes in NCAA amateurism investigations and academic reviews, including many who have advanced to the National Basketball Association, European professional sport and played on their countries’ National Teams.