Loeb & Loeb Advises Former NFL Star Shawne 'Lights Out' Merriman in Partnership with Bellator MMA

Loeb & Loeb LLP partner Arash Khalili served as legal counsel to former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman and his fitness apparel company Lights Out in a brand partnership with Bellator MMA, the nationally televised mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company owned by Viacom.

Merriman, a three-time Pro-Bowler for the San Diego Chargers, has been a huge fan of MMA for years and he views the Bellator partnership as a major platform for his brand of performance athletic wear, which is named after the “Lights Out” nickname that Merriman held throughout his football career.

“‘Lights Out’ is not just a brand or a business for Shawne, it’s his persona. A partnership of this kind needed to make sense for him as an athlete and as an entrepreneur,” said Khalili, who serves as Deputy Chairman of Loeb & Loeb’s Corporate and Capital Markets Department and Co-Chair of the firm’s Sports Practice. “There is tremendous natural synergy between Lights Out and MMA, and I was honored to help Shawne tap into that and orchestrate this deal with Bellator, which was a win-win for everyone involved.”

The Loeb & Loeb team acting on behalf of Merriman and Lights Out also included attorney David W. Grace.

For more information about Lights Out, visit http://lightsoutbrand.com.

Loeb & Loeb’s Sports Practice brings together an interdisciplinary team of attorneys and professionals to address the full range of complex legal issues facing the sports business today. The firm represents athletes, leagues, teams, ownership groups, financiers and investors, intellectual property licensees and licensors, corporate sponsors, media companies, event organizers and sports equipment manufacturers, among other industry participants, in a wide range of matters touching every side of the sports business.