Removal (Deportation) and Reentry: My Boyfriend Was Banned from Us for 5 Years

Okay, so my boyfriend went to college here in the states for the past 4 years, he got his b1 tourist visa i believe. he's sponsored by nike to play golf, but since its a tourist visa then he can stay here for 6 months at a time and can't work. he just plays golf and is allowed to win prize money but not have a salary or anything like that. he's from australia and has traveled back and forth on that visa about 4 times. i took him to the airport november 29th for the summer months in australia to play golf, and he was scheduled to come back february 24th. when he flew into california, customs stopped him and interrogated him for hours saying he was on the wrong visa. they eventually sent him home and said without penalty but when he got home he found out they put a 5 year travel ban to the US on him. the big discrepancy is whether or not he was getting paid a salary. Nike pays him a yearly retainer but in his contract with Nike it says that he is not an employee and it is not a salary, but a yearly retainer. Customs considered that a salary and because he is on the tourist visa he isn't allowed to have that and so now he is banned from the US and his brother is currently over here finishing up school and his golf career. His lawyers aren't much help right now and both him and I are confused on the whole situation and don't really know what to do because no one is giving us directions. Obviously we need to appeal the ban and get it removed. That's the most important thing. But is there a chance for that to happen? It's just absurd that he is banned for 5 years when he didn't do anything criminal or intentionally. He had traveled on that same visa the 4 other times he had gone home and come back here. Can someone help us?! What should we do so that we can get him appealed and back here ASAP?!

Thank you!

Removal (Deportation) and Reentry: My Boyfriend Was Banned from Us for 5 Years