On this episode of Conduct Detrimental: THE Sports Law Podcast, Dan Lust (@SportsLawLust) and Mike Kravchenko (Watch on YouTube) run a football-heavy show, and this week it's all about the optics.
After Dan's flag-football coaching debut, which ended with a hard lesson about the forward-pass rule, they start with Josh Jacobs. A Wisconsin judge denied the victim's request to permanently seal the evidence in his case, including surveillance video, and left any release to local police. Jacobs is still on the Commissioner Exempt List. Mike and Dan get into why a player of his caliber doesn't end up there by accident, why the video may matter more than the plea, and what the NFL learned from Ray Rice.
Next, Antonio Brown goes from a second-degree attempted murder charge (up to 30 years, with a 20-year mandatory minimum) to an expected no-contest plea to aggravated assault, with probation and adjudication withheld. Dan explains why AB's Stand Your Ground defense looked shaky, and how the victim's forgiveness helped produce "a deal he couldn't refuse."
Dan checks in on his futures (the Bills are now –260 to win the AFC East) and makes the case for a new one: the Giants over 6.5 wins, a bet on John Harbaugh's track record.
Then the PR block. Gable Steveson, a –2500 favorite, was knocked out in 12 seconds at UFC 331 after his opponent spent fight week bringing up a 2019 allegation. Steveson's follow-up statement may be one of the worst the show has covered, down to citing his own attorney's investigation as proof. Plus: Arch Manning's apology tour after he called an AI-doctored video of Steve Sarkisian and Holly Rowe "hilarious," and Sean Strickland's car-crash concussion post, which moved the UFC futures market (including Dan's Imavov ticket) before Strickland showed up training the next day.
On the way out, Mike flags two things to watch: the Justice Department's criminal probe in the Eastern District of New York into the Kawhi Leonard endorsement deals, and the NFL memo barring ex-LSU hopefuls Zxavian Harris and Dae'Quan Wright from signing for the 2026 season. Finally, the Protect College Sports Act heads to a final Senate vote on Monday. The guys cover the "Lane Kiffin rule," a revenue-share cap that more than doubles, the lack of employee status or collective bargaining, and Dan's theory that the NCAA's eligibility chaos may have been the plan all along.
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As always, this episode is sponsored by Themis Bar Review: https://www.themisbarsocial.com/conductdetrimental
Host: Dan Lust (@SportsLawLust)
Featuring: Mike Kravchenko (Watch on YouTube)
Produced by: Mike Kravchenko (Watch on YouTube)
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