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Another Good Draft for Law Alumnus

Sports agent Malik Shareef, a 2006 graduate of the Washington and Lee School of Law, had an interesting few days last week as he waited to see where one of his clients, Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams, would go in the National Football League draft.

In a story published this past Saturday, The Washington Post chronicled Williams’ experience and included Malik’s observations on the process. Among other insights into the relationship between a sports agent and a football star, the Post piece said that Malik had slept in his client’s room on the night before the draft to make sure he didn’t miss any of his appointments the following day. Not only that, but apparently Malik even ironed Williams’s shirts for him — not exactly something he would have studied in Lewis Hall. (Malik is pictured with Williams in the first photo of a Post slideshow.)

This was the second year in a row that Malik and his partner, Joshua Hare, who have a firm called Dimensional Sports, have had one of their players invited to attend the draft in New York. Such an invitation is based on whether or not it appears that the player will be a high selection and will walk onto the stage at Radio City Music Hall once his name is called. Last year Malik’s client, Joe Haden of the University of Florida, was the No. 7 choice in the first round by the Cleveland Browns. Last July, Malik completed negotiations with the Browns that resulted in a five-year, $50-million contract.

Williams wasn’t as fortunate as Harden; he was not drafted on the first day. But the Post article still captures the excitement that those around Williams felt when the Arizona Cardinals picked him on the second night of the draft. He was the 38th player selected.

Malik set the stage of the draft from an agent’s perspective with a piece that he wrote for Politic365.

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