Villanova Law Alumni in Sports Law

In February 2012, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law announced that Jeffrey S. Moorad ’81 CWSL, the vice chairman and CEO of the San Diego Padres, had committed $5 million for the creation of the new Jeffrey S. Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law. The landmark gift, which marks the largest in VSL’s history, was officially announced at the 2012 Villanova Sports and Entertainment Law Journal Symposium. Headlined and conceived by Moorad, the event featured an all-star panel of baseball experts including Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane, subject of the book and Oscar-nominated film Moneyball, former New York Mets General Manager and current San Diego Padres Senior Vice President Omar Minaya and MSNBC President Phil Griffin, discussing the impact of “Moneyball” on sports and business. Former Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell VSL ’68 moderated.

A Villanova Law School alumnus, Jeffrey Moorad is one of the most recognizable names in professional sport and has been a leader in the sports industry for more than 25 years. The founder of Moorad Sports Management, he began specializing in athlete representation in 1983, focusing mainly on Major League Baseball. Two years later, Moorad joined forces with Leigh Steinberg to form one of the most dynamic partnerships in the history of sports representation, covering both Major League Baseball and the National Football League. The successful duo negotiated more than $3 billion in athlete contracts throughout their 18 years together, including representing Pro Football Hall of Famers Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Warren Moon and Thurman Thomas. Moorad negotiated a number of landmark contracts for a baseball client base that included Manny Ramirez, Eric Karros, Ivan Rodriguez, Mo Vaughn, Shawn Green and Raul Mondesi. Moorad’s reputation as a knowledgeable and respected negotiator has earned him a spot on The Sporting News’ 100 Most Powerful People in Sports on eight occasions.

In 2004, Moorad was named a member of the executive team of the Arizona Diamondbacks, bringing with him a wealth of experience in Major League Baseball on the player side of the table. While with Arizona, he was a General Partner, Chief Executive Officer, the spokesperson for the team’s ownership group, and he oversaw, along with Ken Kendrick, the day-to-day operations of the franchise. Moorad has served as Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego Padres since February 2009. At that time, he and a California-based group reached an agreement to purchase 100 percent ownership of the team over several years.

A native of Modesto, California, Moorad earned an Associate in Arts degree from Modesto Junior College, where he served as student body president, in 1976, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from UCLA in 1978. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Villanova University School of Law in 1981.

Michael Lipitz is Deputy Athletics Director for Internal Operations at North Carolina State. In addition, he serves as liaison to the University’s Office of General Counsel and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Prior to his work at North Carolina State, Michael served as Athletic Director at the University of Maryland. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland where he was a four-year starter on the men’s tennis team.

Ed Rendell is Special Counsel at the Philadelphia-based law firm, Ballard Spahr, LLP. He served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003-2011. During this time he was Chair of the National Governor Association from 2008-2009. He also served two terms as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1992-2000. Ed began his career working for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office where he worked his way to Chief of Homicide in 1972 and was elected District Attorney in 1977 and 1981. Mr. Rendell received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Sean C. Sansiveri is Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for National Football League Players, Inc., the National Football League Players Association's marketing and licensing subsidiary. He was previously Legal Counsel for the NFL Players Association. Sean also has served as legal counsel to the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States. In that capacity, he acted as the Labor Liaison between the NFLPA and the AFL-CIO.  Prior to his work in sports, Sean practiced business law at Saul Ewing LLP, covering a broad range of matters including securities, intellectual property, corporate governance, and mergers and acquisitions. Outside of sports, Sean works with a number of charitable organizations including Futuro De Los Niños and First Book. He has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University since 2012. Sean is a graduate of Cornell University College of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Michael Siegel is a certified NBA and NFLPA Agent. He represents professional players in the NBA and throughout European Leagues. Some of his clients have included Tyrus Thomas, Kawhi Leonard, Jeff Pendergraph, Will Barton, Dexter Pittman and Rick Jackson. He graduated from Colgate University where he played basketball. At Villanova Law, he was president of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society and Symposium Editor of the Sports and Entertainment Law Journal. He has worked for many high-profile sports agencies including IMG and Jeffrey S. Moorad. He currently works for Impact Sports Agency and has spoken about his experience as a sports agent at Villanova Law.

Michael Stiles is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Philadelphia Phillies. In that role, Michael oversaw operations of Citizens Bank Park and personnel policies for the organization. During his time with the Phillies the team has experienced much success with a World Series Championship in 2008. In addition, the Phillies claimed five consecutive NL East division titles from 2007-2011. Before joining the Phillies, Mr. Stiles was US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Common Pleas Court Judge.