The Poston Congressional hearings?

Postons3.jpgThis previous post reported on the strange case of Houston-based lawyer and former sports agent, Carl Poston, who is currently serving a two-year suspension levied by the National Football League Players’ Association from representing any NFL players. I thought the suspension pretty much ended that story, at least until coming across this ESPN.com article:

New York Giants linebacker LaVar Arrington is tentatively scheduled to testify before Congress this week at a hearing involving his former agent.
Arrington, a three-time Pro Bowl player; NFL Players Association general counsel Richard Berthelsen; and a law professor were on a “tentative witness list” e-mailed to The Associated Press on Tuesday by House Judiciary Committee press secretary Terry Shawn. [ . . .]
The Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law has scheduled an oversight hearing for Thursday to examine the NFL Players Association’s arbitration process. Lawmakers will be looking into the NFLPA’s suspension of Arrington’s former agent, Carl Poston, stemming from his handling of a contract the linebacker signed with the Washington Redskins near the end of the 2003 season.

Now, I recognize that a post-election Congress is the Washington, D.C.-equivalent of professional golf’s “silly season,” where members of a lame duck Congress are passing time until the new Congress is sworn in early next year. But still, can’t our elected officials find something more noteworthy on which to hold a Congressional hearing than a relatively small, not-very-well handled contractual matter between two private parties?

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