Lawyers Turn Athletic Directors in Era of NIL Deals, Lawsuits

John Cunningham went into collegiate athletics looking to get away from lawyers. Now most of his days are spent talking with them.

Cunningham, the University of Cincinnati’s athletic director, was only half kidding when making that observation. He wanted to be a trial lawyer before embarking on what’s become a two-decade career in big-time college sports, where Cunningham started in low-paying compliance roles.

“Everyone thought compliance was the worst job, but I liked it because you interacted with every sport,” Cunningham said. That gave him the opportunity to meet coaches and make presentations to the presidents of ...