I am a week late on this story, but here is an interesting find about a sports agent posting a comment on a college football player’s wall who still has a year of eligibility left. Chris Camper wrote on Antonio Brown‘s wall saying, “Next big step… Junior Pro Day, the official start to your path to the draft.” The article states that Camper works for Oracle Sports Management L.L.C. In fact, according to Camper’s LinkedIn page, he is the Owner & Chief Negotiator of the company. I could not find an actual website for Oracle.
The article goes on to say,
For those of you wondering if its ethical for agents to be talking to players before their season is finished — it’s perfectly legal and just part of the game. The NCAA has no problem with sports agents using social networking tools.
While it is true that the NCAA has no problem with Camper’s action, it is important to remember that the NCAA is not the only body that regulates the sports agent profession. Agents need also be concerned with state and federal statutes. Importantly, states that have signed onto the UAAA prohibit an agent from initiating contact with a student-athlete unless registered with those states. Interestingly, Michigan is 1 of 3 states that have existing, non-UAAA laws designed to regulate athlete agents.
So Camper should be fine, but had he or another agent written the same message on an athlete’s wall in another state bound by the UAAA (or a variation thereof), a picky regulating body could take action against that agent.
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