Tyrone P. Thomas

Tyrone P. Thomas is an executive compensation and employment attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office and serves as the co-chair of the firm's Sports Law Practice. Mr. Thomas focuses on matters concerning C-suite executives across for profit and nonprofit employers, including educational institutions, trade associations and sports organizations. He has handled high profile investigations involving allegations of workplace misconduct, fiscal impropriety, and violations of NCAA and professional league rules for over 20 years.

Mr. Thomas advises boards, presidents and other senior executives on employment, consulting and separation agreements. In providing compliance assessments on governance issues, he advises boards and compensation committees on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations governing intermediate sanctions, incentive programs and Form 990 reporting. In the scope of his practice, he has advised on executive employment arrangements and transitions involving over 250 academic institutions.

Mr. Thomas represents clients on complex legal issues in athletics. In college athletic matters, his experience includes advising on laws and regulations for name/image/likeness deals and programs, enforcement investigations and appeals of penalties assessed to institutions, athletics staff and student-athletes. He advises colleges on Title IX, privacy issues, employment contracts and policies for athletics personnel. In professional sports matters, he has experience advising teams on league compliance issues, sponsorship arrangements and other legal matters.

Mr. Thomas also has experience counseling clients on the development and implementation of affirmative action plans and related matters with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). In general employment matters, Mr. Thomas advises companies on reductions in force and compliant frameworks to implement diversity goals and action plans.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Thomas is a frequent speaker for various associations in higher education on presidential compensation and executive searches, including the American Council on Education (ACE), National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). He is nationally recognized for his experience in sports matters and has served as a legal analyst for The New York Times, ESPN, Forbes, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Sports Illustrated, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Sports Business Journal, and University Business.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Thomas was co-chair of the sports and entertainment practice of a large U.S. law firm in its Washington, D.C., and New York offices.