Profile

At a Glance

John is an Associate in the firm’s Business and Finance Department. He concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial transactions, corporate governance, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, sports law, and other business-related legal matters.

He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Penn State Law, and his B.A., summa cum laude, in Public Justice from SUNY Oswego. In addition to serving as President of Penn State’s Sports Law Society, John writes and speaks extensively about the legal issues related to sports, including articles in Forbes and Westlaw Today and radio appearances on ESPN Radio, iHeartRadio, and Sportsnet Canada.

Honors

• Woolsack Society at Penn State Law, awarded to the Top 15% of each graduating class.
• First Place, 2021 Sports Lawyers Association Writing Competition.
• First Place, 2019 Miller Leonard Criminal Justice Reform Writing Competition.
• Received the CALI Award for the top grade in three classes: Intellectual Property Law, Internet Law, and Representing the Professional Athlete.

Articles and Appearances

Articles

Conduct Detrimental, Could the FTC’s Proposed Rule Banning Non-Compete Agreements Apply to the PGA Tour Handbook?, January 2023

https://www.conductdetrimental.com/post/could-the-ftc-s-proposed-rule-banning-non-compete-agreements-apply-to-the-pga-tour-handbook

Westlaw Journal of Employment Law, Will the NFL face legal fallout in Tua Tagovailoa Concussion Controversy? October 2022.

https://today.westlaw.com/Document/I7f99d9e4434f11ed9f24ec7b211d8087/View/FullText.html?transitionTyp e=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.De fault)&firstPage=true

Conduct Detrimental, An Ace or a Flop? Phil Mickelson and Others take an Antitrust Swing at the PGA TOUR, August 2022.

https://www.conductdetrimental.com/post/an-ace-or-a-flop-phil-mickelson-and-others-take-an-antitrust-swing-at-pga-tour

Forbes, A Solution to the Legislative Stalemate on Sports Betting Legalization in Massachusetts, Jun. 2022.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielwallach/2022/06/08/a-solution-to-the-legislative-stalemate-on-sports-betting-legalization-in-massachusetts/?sh=3058878120cb

Commonwealth Magazine, A Roadmap to go on Sports Betting, Jun. 2022.

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/roadmap-to-go-on-sports-betting/

Wallach Legal LLC, Pending Sports Betting Legislation, April 2022.

https://sportsgaminglaw.com/legislative-updates

The Sports Lawyers Journal, Tulane University, NBA Top Shot: The Illusion of Ownership and the Purchase of Restrictions, forthcoming.

https://www.sportslaw.org/docs/Johnathan_Nucci.pdf

Conduct Detrimental, Can the PGA Tour Outdrive Legal Challenges if they Ban Players that Defect to the Super League? Feb. 2022.

https://www.conductdetrimental.com/post/can-the-pga-tour-outdrive-legal-challenges-if-they-ban-players-who-defect-to-the-super-golf-league

Conduct Detrimental, Dalvin Cook Sued by Ex-Girlfriend, Asserts ‘Castle Doctrine’ Defense. November 2021.

https://www.conductdetrimental.com/post/dalvin-cook-sued-by-ex-girlfriend-asserts-castle-doctrine-defense

Conduct Detrimental, How a 1996 Ohio Law Could Save the “Buffalo” Bills. October 2021.

https://www.conductdetrimental.com/post/how-a-1996-ohio-law-could-save-the-buffalo-bills

Conduct Detrimental, College Athletes are Employees says NLRB, Potentially Clearing Path for Unionization. September 2021.

https://www.conductdetrimental.com/post/college-athletes-are-employees-says-nlrb-potentially-clearing-the-path-for-unionization

Conduct Detrimental, Ink It: Jake Paul’s Surprise Tattoo Rematch Offer to Tyron Woodley. August 2021.

https://www.conductdetrimental.com/post/ink-it-jake-paul-s-surprise-tattoo-rematch-offer-to-tyron-woodley

Conduct Detrimental, Could Conor McGregor KO the UFC with a Bombshell Lawsuit? July 2021.

https://www.conductdetrimental.com/post/could-mcgregor-ko-the-ufc-with-a-bombshell-lawsuit

Sports Lawyers Association Blog, Dwayne Haskins Early Career and Release, December 2020.

https://blog.sportslaw.org/posts/dwayne-haskins-early-career-and-release/

Sports Lawyers Association Blog, Can the NCAA Justify Playing Games without Fans? April 2020.

https://blog.sportslaw.org/posts/can-the-ncaa-justify-playing-games-without-fans/

Podcast and Radio Appearances

Conduct Detrimental Podcast, The Intersection of Sports and Law; Multiple Appearances

March 2022; June 2022; August 2022; August 2022.

Sportsnet 590 The FAN Toronto, The Golf Show, August 15, 2022

https://www.sportsnet.ca/590/the-golf-show/golf-talk-with-bourney-legal-advice-on-liv-vs-pga/

iHeartRadio 96.9 The Game Orlando, The Beat of Sports, August 9, 2022

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/139-the-beat-of-sports-26936826/episode/liv-golfers-head-to-court-100707357/?cmp=ios_share&sc=ios_social_share&pr=false

ESPN Radio 99.9 The FAN Raleigh, the Adam Gold Show, August 8, 2022

https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/the-adam-gold-show?selected=CAPITOL2871412583

Practice Areas

Industry Expertise

Education

• The Pennsylvania State University, Penn State Law, J.D., magna cum laude
• State University of New York at Oswego, B.A., in Public Justice, summa cum laude

Bar Admissions

• New York State

Professional Affiliations

• Monroe County Bar Association
• Sports Lawyers Association