Dick Moss, the pioneering lawyer who transformed sports free agency and athlete compensation, has died at 93 in Santa Monica, California, the Major League Baseball Players Association announced Sunday. Moss, whose health had declined over recent years, passed away on Saturday at an assisted-living residence.
Moss was instrumental in the landmark 1975 arbitration case involving pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally. His efforts led to the dismantling of the reserve clause, a contractual provision in place since 1878 which allowed teams to control players indefinitely. This ruling by arbitrator Peter Seitz revolutionized player salaries and set the stage for similar changes in other major North American sports leagues.
Throughout his career, Moss secured groundbreaking contracts and exposed collusion among team owners. As an agent, he negotiated Nolan Ryan's first $1 million annual salary and played a key role in the 1987 deal for Andre Dawson that revealed owner collusion, resulting in a $280 million settlement. "A titan of the industry," David Cone remarked upon Moss' death. Reflecting on his achievements, Moss once noted, "The difference between winning and losing was billions and billions of dollars."
story continues below
Moss is survived by his third wife, Carol Freis, and daughter Nancy Moss Ephron. Another daughter, Betsy, predeceased him. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
