Severability

A severability clause provides that if any provision of the contract is found by a court or arbitrator to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. Severability protects the parties from a single bad clause taking down the whole deal. It is paired with a "reformation" or "blue-pencil" provision that lets the court rewrite the offending clause narrowly to make it enforceable, rather than striking it entirely. Severability matters most in non-compete and arbitration contexts, where individual clauses are most likely to be struck. From an athlete perspective, severability is generally neutral — it preserves the bargain — but read it carefully if you negotiated a key athlete-favourable concession that might survive only because of severability.