Talks For Wasserman Media Group To Acquire Athletes First End With No Agreement

Wasserman Media Group’s talks to acquire NFL player representation firm Athletes First have ended with no agreement, sources said yesterday. A Wasserman spokesperson and Athletes First both declined comment. As first reported by SportsBusiness Journal in December, Wasserman was in advanced discussions to acquire Athletes First in a deal that would have given it one of the largest NFL player representation practices in sports, with more than 100 NFL player clients. Wasserman conducts intense due diligence on its acquisition targets and that process has been ongoing over the past few months. The two agencies had targeted early March to close and announce the agreement, but the deal fell apart in the last two days, sources said. “The parties could not agree on terms,” said one person familiar with the talks.