Miami Athlete Defense Lawyer

Is Your Career on the Line?

You have worked for this since you were a kid. Early morning practices. Games your family drove hours to watch. Then one bad night changes everything. You are scared you will lose your scholarship. You are scared your coach will bench you before you ever see a courtroom. You are scared your name will hit ESPN before your own parents hear it from you.

Those fears are exactly why you call us tonight, not next week.

For over 50 years, Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A. has protected clients whose careers and reputations were on the line as much as their freedom. Jeff Weiner argued Florida v Jimeno, 500 U.S. 248 (1991), before the United States Supreme Court. It’s a search and seizure case that is still cited in legal briefs and discussed in law school classrooms.

Call us before you call anyone else. We will work hard to protect your legal rights, your eligibility, and your future.

What We Handle for Student and Professional Athletes

Athletes get arrested for the same reasons anyone else does. The difference is what happens next. A single charge can trigger a team investigation, an NCAA inquiry, or a call from your agent, all while your criminal case is still pending. 

We defend college, Olympic, and professional athletes across the full range of charges that put a career at risk, and we build every defense around what you have on the line beyond the courtroom. Some of the types of cases we handle include:

• DUI and boating under the influence, common after a night out with teammates or a team event.
• Simple and felony battery, including bar altercations, sideline incidents, and off-field confrontations.
• Domestic violence allegations, cases that move fast and carry immediate no-contact orders.
• Drug charges, including possession, prescription drug cases, and PED-related criminal exposure.
• Sexual assault and abuse allegations, among the most career-ending charges an athlete can face.
• Weapons charges, firearm possession issues that can end a professional contract on their own.
• NIL (name, image, and likeness) and financial fraud allegations, a newer risk as name, image, and likeness deals grow.
• Federal charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, or conspiracy tied to sports betting or NIL schemes.

What You Risk Beyond the Courtroom

An arrest does not wait for a conviction to cost you something. Your university can suspend you from the team the moment you are booked, long before a judge ever hears your case. Your name gets attached to the charge in local news before your side of the story is told. Your NIL sponsors can walk away over a headline alone. Additionally, professional teams can bench you, fine you, or release you under a personal conduct policy that does not require a conviction, only an accusation.

Is a criminal record worth more than your career? We do not think so. Prosecutors see a case number. We see everything you stand to lose, on and off the field, and we build the defense around protecting all of it, not just keeping you out of a jail cell.

How We Work in Athlete Defense Cases

Athlete cases move fast, and so do we. Here is what happens once you call.

• We are available 24/7. We understand that you need a lawyer now, and our office is available when you call.
• We assess what triggered the stop or search. Many athlete arrests start with a traffic stop, a dorm search, or a campus security encounter. Jeff has argued search and seizure law before the United States Supreme Court, and we are ready to find out what happened to you.
• We coordinate carefully with your team, school, or agent. We share only what protects your defense, never anything that could be used against you later.
• We manage the public side of your case. We draw on decades of handling high profile matters where a client’s name was already in the news before the case even started.
• We build a plan for after the case. This includes sealing or expunging your record where Florida law allows it, so a single incident does not follow you into the draft, free agency, or your next job.

One Allegation, Two Cases: We Defend Both

One arrest can start two completely separate processes. The criminal case moves through a Florida or federal court on its own timeline. At the same time, your university, your league, or a governing body like USA Swimming or USA Track and Field can open its own investigation under its own rules, often before your criminal case is anywhere close to done. A statement that helps you in one process can hurt you badly in the other if it is not handled carefully. 

We coordinate the timing and the message across both proceedings, so what you say to a compliance officer does not end up read back to you in a courtroom, and what happens in court does not blindside your team or your school before you have had the chance to explain it yourself. Most athletes have never faced either process before, let alone both at once, and that is exactly why this planning has to start on day one, not after the first hearing.

Where Your Case Will Be Heard in Miami

If you are arrested in Miami-Dade County, most misdemeanor and felony criminal matters move through the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building at 1351 NW 12th Street in Miami. Felony bond hearings there run seven days a week. This timing matters when a coach or scout is waiting to hear whether you are back on campus by morning. 

Federal cases, including wire fraud or conspiracy charges tied to NIL deals or sports betting, are heard at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Courthouse at 400 North Miami Avenue, in the Southern District of Florida.

Miami is home to the University of Miami and Florida International University, both NCAA Division I programs, along with the Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, Miami Marlins, and Inter Miami CF. The city also hosts Olympic-level training programs, which means Miami-Dade police, Coral Gables police, and campus security all have direct experience with athlete arrests. Knowing which agency made the arrest and which court will hear the case shapes almost every early decision, from bond to the first conversation with your school.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my university suspend me from the team before I am convicted of anything?

Yes. Most university and NCAA conduct codes let a school suspend an athlete based only on an arrest or a complaint, not a conviction. That is why the first 24 hours after an arrest matter as much as anything that happens in court, and why we ask you to call us before you talk to compliance staff. We are available 24/7 and offer free initial consultations.

Does my school have to report my arrest to the NCAA?

Many athletic departments have their own policies requiring self-reports of arrests to compliance staff, and some conferences require it too. The rules vary by school and conference, so we review your specific handbook early and help you understand exactly what has to be disclosed and when.

What happens to my NIL deals if I am charged with a crime?

Many NIL contracts include a morals or conduct clause that lets a sponsor cancel the deal over an arrest alone, even before any court date. A morals clause (or conduct provision) can allow the sponsor to immediately terminate your contract and freeze pending payments. Additionally, in some cases, the contract may allow the sponsor to recover signing bonuses or other money already paid to you if they decide your actions hurt the company’s reputation. Protecting those deals means moving fast, controlling what gets said publicly, and giving your representatives accurate information instead of letting headlines do the talking.

Do professional teams discipline players separately from the criminal case?

Yes. Leagues including the NFL, NBA, and MLB run their own personal conduct investigations that can result in fines or suspension regardless of what happens in criminal court. We coordinate your defense with what that separate process needs, so one proceeding does not blindside the other. Your future, including the professional career you’ve worked so hard to build, is worth protecting.

What if I am arrested near campus, like at the University of Miami or FIU?

Campus security often works directly with Coral Gables police or Miami-Dade police depending on where the arrest happens, and jurisdiction can affect your case from the very first report. We sort out who has authority over your case before we build your defense, so nothing gets missed in the handoff.

Can my criminal case be sealed or expunged later?

If your case ends without a conviction, Florida law may allow the record to be expunged so it does not show up on background checks at all. That protects your draft stock, your next contract, and your next job long after this season is behind you and the headlines have faded.

Should I talk to my coach before I talk to a lawyer?

No. Anything you say to a coach, teammate, or team staff member is not protected the way a conversation with your attorney is, and it can end up in the hands of investigators or the media. Call us first, then let us help you decide what to say to anyone else, including your own coach.

What if I am an international student athlete facing charges?

An arrest can raise visa and immigration questions on top of the criminal case itself, and those two problems have to be handled together, not one after the other. Our firm has represented clients across many states and on cases spanning multiple countries, so the international layer of your case does not catch us off guard.

Do I need to be a professional or NCAA Division I athlete for this to apply to me?

No. We represent college athletes at every level, Olympic hopefuls, and professional athletes, along with their coaches and staff, whenever a criminal case threatens a career built around athletics, regardless of the size of your school or the sport you play.

Do you handle athlete defense cases outside of Miami-Dade County?

Yes. Our attorneys have handled cases in more than 25 states and have argued before the United States Supreme Court, so a case outside Miami-Dade does not catch us off guard. Athletes travel for games, tournaments, and training, and an arrest can happen anywhere. We regularly work with local counsel in other states and coordinate with your school or team no matter where the charge was filed. Call us first, wherever your case is located, and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit or help you find someone who is. 

What does a consultation with Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A. involve?

We talk through what happened, what your school, league, or sponsors are already doing, and what the next 48 hours should look like. Every conversation is confidential, whether or not you decide to hire us.

Does it cost anything to talk to you about my case?

No. The first consultation is free, and nothing you say on that call obligates you to hire our firm. 

If you are facing any of these situations right now, the sooner we talk, the more options you may have.

Contact Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A. Today

You did not get this far in your sport by ignoring a problem and hoping it fixed itself. An arrest is no different. 

If you are facing criminal charges or under investigation in South Florida, do not wait. Call Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A. at (305) 670-9919 — available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Free initial consultations. All communications are confidential.