Everette Scott: where sports and entertainment meet legally

Interview and article prepared for the Philadelphia Business Journal, as filed last week, without edits, to run in yesterday’s edition.

Everette L. Scott Jr. wants to protect your rights.

You and everyone else with a chance of being a star someday.

“In this world of multimedia and the Internet, things have changed night and day in the last five years,” said Scott, who joined the Center City law firm Spector Gadon & Rosen last month to lead its sports and entertainment group.

The man left a spot as president and chairman of the Cherry Hill-based Sports and Entertainment Management Group to fill a void of legal knowledge he saw in his work.

“If you’re an athlete today, you need to market yourself in a new way,” he said. “And understand your legal rights.”

With the sizable reputation of Spector Gadon behind him, Scott hopes to be at the forefront of marrying Web based marketing and promotion with his background in sports and entertainment law.

“We’re interested in being, not only a local leader, but also the industry leader,” Scott said.

By doing things like what he’s done with client Nate Jones, an undersized cornerback most recently with the Dallas Cowboys. Jones wanted to secure a life after the NFL, so Scott is working to broker a deal in which the former Rutgers University star has an advisory role in an online show about high school athletes pursuing their dreams after graduation.

“Sports and entertainment are one in the same,” he said.

Scott sees the smaller Philadelphia market as an opportunity.

“For the Philadelphia community to get involved in this is great,” he said. “Folks like to consider New York or Atlanta or even Hollywood the conduits for this kind of work, but we have the best minds in the region for this.”

The former standout linebacker at Philadelphia’s Central High School knows the score, but he’s playing with his law degree now.

“Today, any person, if they have aspirations, if you think you got what it takes, there is nothing that is preventing you from getting to the marketplace,” he said. “But you sure better have protection of your legal rights.”

See other reporting by Christopher Wink here.