On Jan. 24, 2001, in Williamsburg, Virginia, the Tribe of William & Mary opened up a 32-11 lead at halftime. Although James Madison closed the gap, the Tribe held on for a 71-58 victory. For most in attendance, it was just another win. Yet, for the Tribe’s leading scorer that evening, it was another moment in a basketball journey that would later be mirrored in his legal career—a career that would see him leading another ‘tribe,’ this time in the complex world of college sports law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights.
That leader?
Mit Winter.
The 6’7″ forward/wing combo, who finished his career at William & Mary with his name etched in the record books for three-point shooting and free throw percentage. Oh, and that game in 2001? Winter scored a then-school record 36 points and went 17-17 from the charity stripe. He is now one of the nation’s leading voices in NIL, House settlements, and student-athlete advocacy. His smooth jumper and knack for doing the dirty work are now replaced with sharp legal arguments and in-depth analysis of the evolving college sports landscape.
“I loved being a college athlete,” Winter reflects.
Now, as a seasoned lawyer specializing in the collegiate sports landscape, he’s protecting the student-athlete experience and, more importantly, ensuring that the future of college athletics remains a viable path for aspiring athletes.
Winter currently represents universities, collectives, agencies, college athletes, and college sports-related businesses.
If you’ve scrolled through your social media feed lately, chances are you’ve seen Winter breaking down recent court cases, analyzing NIL developments, or commenting on NCAA-related stories. His openness on social media has made him a go-to source for clarity in a field often clouded by legal jargon and shifting policies.
“I like to read and analyze,” Winter says. “That’s probably what led me to law school. Right now, to stay up to date on all of the change in college athletics, it’s constant news reading, gathering, and digesting the day’s information.”
Winter’s journey from college athlete to legal expert began with a simple realization: he wanted to stay connected to sports. “After graduating, I went to law school in San Francisco. In my head, I always knew I wanted to do something in sports,” he explains. “I enjoyed my sports law class and also interned with a sports agent.”
A bit of serendipity played a role as well. The law firm that hired Winter out of college was already working with the NCAA, and Winter found himself involved in a pivotal case.
“The main one was White vs. NCAA,” he recalls. “It was almost a precursor to big-name cases like O’Bannon, House, and Alston. It ended up settling, but it really got the conversation on college athlete compensation started. It sought to allow schools to increase their financial support for athletes through providing cost of attendance stipends.”
While the case did not go to trial, it served as a springboard for Winter’s career and for student-athletes.
That career path continued to evolve as whispers about compensation and student-athletes started to take shape.
“In 2019, you could see NIL conversations were heating up, and you could see that it was coming. States were starting to build their laws, and a lot of people were looking for answers,” Winter says. “With my background as a college athlete and my ongoing legal work with various college sports cases and clients, I really dove into everything that was happening with NIL, paid close attention to the changes happening, and stayed up to date on things as much as possible. So when everything changed in 2021, I was well-positioned to take it on.”
His deep understanding of both the athlete’s perspective and the legal framework has allowed Winter to navigate complex NIL discussions with a unique insight.
“I think it’s helped me a lot,” Winter says of his playing days. “Because it’s one thing to talk about how a law, regulation, or court decision might affect college athletes or college athletics as a whole. But it’s another to have actually been a college athlete and to truly know how something will affect an athlete’s daily life and experience.”
His experience and perspective haven’t just influenced his clients and made him a sought-after voice in discussions on where college athletics is heading.
On if the dust will ever settle and where it all lands:
“The dust will eventually settle,” Winter predicts. “To get there, we will most likely see a model with some form of negotiation or bargaining between athletes in specific sports and some entity representing the teams the athletes are playing on… Athletes on the teams that are part of the league entity will be negotiating the rules on things like player compensation and player movement with this new entity. It would look very similar to the models we see in the NFL, NBA, and other pro leagues, but still contain some elements unique to college athletics. I think a model like that would bring the stability to college athletics that people are looking for. We might need some new federal laws or to amend some to make this model a reality.”
Winter also reflects on some of NCAA history’s “what if” moments.
“I think the biggest misstep was in 2015 when the 9th Circuit affirmed Judge Wilken’s O’Bannon trial court decision that NCAA rules prohibiting NIL compensation violate antitrust law,” Winter explains. “If I were the NCAA then, I would have started to change and adjust. Instead, the NCAA did nothing with respect to NIL, and then a few years later, States just dove in and started making their own rules.”
They also lost a lot of time and public support, and have been trying to play catch-up since,” Winter continues.
He also points to the decision to appeal the Alston case to the Supreme Court as another critical mistake.
“Hindsight is always 20/20, but I think the NCAA was a little overconfident that the Supreme Court would be on their side regarding the antitrust issues. They were completely wrong.”
Despite the intensity and success of his legal career, Winter embraces his role as a parent.
“I’m enjoying this time right now to watch my older children play sports. It’s nice being a parent-spectator rather than planning out practice or figuring out substitution rotations as the coach, which I’ve done for my kids in the past,” he says with a chuckle.
As an attorney and a parent, Winter has a unique perspective on the growing opportunities for student-athletes. He quickly emphasizes the importance of keeping priorities straight amid the allure of big paydays.
“There’s a lot of news and information out there that people read and hear,” he said. “Yes, there is a lot of money to be made, but none of that happens if you don’t get your grades, don’t compete at a high level, and ultimately get better every day. It’s easy to be sidetracked by the money that is being thrown around right now.”
Reflecting on his time as a student-athlete, Winter couldn’t help but laugh at what he might have commanded in today’s NIL landscape.
“Not a lot,” he said with a chuckle. “But then again, there is some crazy money being thrown out right now. I had a really good sophomore and junior year. I bet I could have gotten something if I had tested the waters. But it all worked out.”
His modesty is evident, especially as the market is well into the six-figures for players of his size and ability to shoot from beyond the arc.
“These are college athletes, which makes them unique. They go to class. They have homework. Yet, at the power level, they are essentially professional athletes. It’s a unique dynamic.”
Wherever the next wave of NIL and collegiate sports regulations takes us, Mit Winter will be there—analyzing, advising, and advocating for his new Tribe.
