Third-year Tulane Law student lands internship with the NY Jets

Marianna Salas is living her sports dream.

A Tulane Law student in the Sports Law Program, Salas spent the summer of 2022 working as a Pro Scouting Assistant for the New York Jets from training camp into the pre-season. 

"From the top down, everyone made it a point to teach me every day,” said Salas, who will graduate in the spring with her J.D. and Sports Law Certificate. “I learned more than I ever expected thanks to how much they invested in my development.”  

Salas arrived at Tulane Law School after earning her bachelor's degree in human and organizational development at Vanderbilt University. Born and raised in New Orleans, Salas got an interest in sports as a competitive equestrian. She worked for the Isidore Newman High School football team as a student there and then worked for Vanderbilt football during her undergraduate years. She points out that the team environment football cultivates is one of a kind.

“To be part of something bigger than yourself is pretty special," Salas said.

Salas chose to attend Tulane Law because of the top-ranked Sports Law Program's prestigious reputation and the alumni and professors that help students make connections that can jumpstart them in a competitive industry.

“The entire sports industry, especially football, is a very small world," Salas said.

In fact, it was Tulane Law alum, Nick Sabella (L’12) who helped her land the Jets gig. Sabella works as Assistant Director, Football Administration, with the Jets organization, and the two met in the spring of this year. Months later, he recommended her for the scouting internship, the same one he held as a law student years earlier.

Sabella knows what it’s like to break into the sports industry. He started his career in professional football as a legal intern while in law school for the New Orleans Saints before interning in the football administration departments for the Jets (2010) and Washington Commanders (2011). He also worked for the National Football League Management Council, serving as a law clerk and labor operations assistant.

Before joining the Jets, Sabella spent six seasons working for the Chicago Bears as a football administration assistant and then football administration coordinator. On the daily, he manages the planning of player compensation budgets and team salary cap and serves as a liaison between the NFL and the club on collective bargaining-related issues.

During her time with the New York Jets, Salas worked together with the Front Office Staff to evaluate and produce reports on position groups of Jets players, comparing them to other NFL players within those same positions. Such reports helped the scouting staff make decisions on roster cuts.

Additionally, Salas organized free agent workouts and evaluations, assisted with advance scouting reports on upcoming opponents, and attended position meetings. As final roster cuts approached, Salas monitored other NFL players' performances to anticipate possible cuts in preparation for waiver claims (the process by which teams can pick up players cut from other teams).

Salas’s favorite part of the job was learning from the player personnel staff. Reflecting on her summer, she immensely enjoyed working with the New York Jets. After she graduates this spring, she plans to continue working in the NFL.  She encourages other law students interested in the sports industry to be persistent in creating opportunities for themselves.

 "Never waste an opportunity to learn,” Salas advises. “Embrace change, embrace growth, and never bet against yourself."