March and April are two of the busiest and most exciting months for sports fans.  Between the NCAA Men’s and Women’s basketball tournaments, the NFL draft, and Major League Baseball getting underway, there is always something to watch on TV.  These months also bring NCAA hockey playoffs and, inevitably, the conclusion of seasons for those that do not make it further.  With the end of the NCAA hockey season comes signing of players to professional contracts.  This is a pivotal moment in many players’ careers because, much like a football player declaring himself eligible for the draft, once a hockey player makes the decision to forgo collegiate eligibility, there is no turning back.

One of the most discussed players in the coming days and weeks will certainly be Jordan Schroeder from the University of Minnesota.  Schroeder was drafted #22 overall in the 2009 draft and fans of the Vancouver Canucks know him as a future franchise forward.  According to recent reports, Schroeder will inform both the University of Minnesota and Vancouver of his decision by the end of this week.  While Schroeder had mild success at the collegiate level, he admits that it he was disappointed with his production.  After a successful two-year career with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) and an equally successful three-time campaign representing the U.S. at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in 2008, 2009, and 2010, Schroeder will almost certainly have success at the NHL level.

If he decides to sign an NHL contract, Schroeder will definitely not be the only NCAA Division I hockey player to make the early jump to the professional ranks in the coming weeks.  Several players have already decided to turn pro and are already playing at minor league levels, and for some, the NHL level.  For example, Casey Wellman, a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts, signed with the Minnesota Wild earlier this week and should see playing time by sometime this weekend.  Wellman followed the path of the starter for the Los Angeles Kings and Olympic backup, Jonathan Quick, who left UMass as a sophomore in 2007.  Soon to follow Wellman to the pros is James Marcou, a junior and also from UMass, whom is reported to be signing a professional contract in the coming weeks.

With turning pro, there are several factors for players to weigh.  Under NCAA Article 12.1.2, student-athletes are prohibited from being paid for playing their respective sport.  This means that a once a player turns pro and starts receiving compensation for playing time, there is no turning back to a collegiate career, even if their pro career is unsuccessful.  While there is a certain allure to being paid to play, players must also keep in mind the best interests of their future development.  All of this information is certainly a lot to consider for a player that is generally around 20 years-old.

On Monday, March 15, the NCAA did its best to assist student-athletes with the decision process by issuing an informational memo to “Men’s Ice Hockey Student-Athletes with Remaining Eligibility.”  Almost every player in the position to turn pro will have an advisor during this process, which is permitted by NCAA rules.  The March 15 memo informs players that an advisor may not “contact teams on [their] behalf to arrange private workouts or tryouts,” but may provide other valuable advice during the process.

An NCAA hockey player’s decision to turn pro is unique in that unlike with the NFL, where players must wait several months between deciding to turn pro and actually being able to play, hockey players that make the same decision, can play almost immediately for a professional team.  For some players, this means going right to the NHL, for others this means starting at other minor league levels, such as the AHL or ECHL.  The professional level at which they play will be a combination of their skills, their player contract, and certain NHL CBA stipulations.

Regardless of whether Schroeder turns pro, this is an exciting time for players that want to see their careers taken to the next level.  What other players do you think will leave early for the pros after their hockey season ends?

Marc Cornstein

But I digress.  Cornstein was recently interviewed by amNewYork about his life as an agent.  Here are some of the parts of the interview that interested me the most.

What do you do for the players?
The thing most closely associated with sports agents is contract negotiation, or finding a new team if you’re dealing with a free agent. You deal with draft eligibility too. We help with draft planning, estate planning, marketing and endorsements. We actually do anything aside from coaching — finding a pediatrician, a car, anything.

What’s the hardest thing about being an agent?
Recruiting is always tough. It is so competitive. There’s a lot of competition that will stop at nothing. You can be really good, but if you don’t have clients you can’t go anywhere.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever had to do for a client?
We’ve had to ship pretty big and potentially dangerous dogs overseas. We once had a case when a player asked us to go spread rose petals all over his girlfriend’s apartment.

What: 14th Annual Fordham Sports Law Symposium

When: Friday, March 26, 2010 (8:30 a.m. – 4:35 p.m.)

Where: James B.M. McNally Amphitheatre (map)

Cost: Free (as is Harvard’s event). NYS CLE credits may be attained for $85 ($50 for Fordham Law alumni & public interest attorneys). CLE Credits: 6 non-transitional, professional practice. Contact: CLE Office Telephone: 212 636-6945 Fax: 212 636-6984 Email: cle@law.fordham.edu

Agenda:

8:30am-9:00am Registration

9:00am-9:30am Welcome and Opening Remarks

• CASSIE MULLMAN – Managing Editor, Fordham Sports Law Forum

9:30am-11:10am Panel 1: The Changing Face of Sports Licensing

• Moderator: GABRIEL FELDMAN, Associate Professor of Law and Director, Sports Law Program, Tulane University Law School
• JEFFREY CAREY, General Counsel, American Needle
• MARC EDELMAN, Assistant Professor, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law; Founder and CEO, SportsJudge.com
• MEIR FEDER, Partner, Jones Day
• IRWIN KISHNER, Partner, Herrick Feinstein LLP

11:10am-11:15am Break

11:15am-1:00pm Panel 2: The Legality and Impact of Age Restrictions into Professional Sports

• Moderator: TIMOTHY LIAM EPSTEIN, Chair, Sports Law Practice Group, Smith Amundsen LLC; Adjunct Professor of Sports Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
• ROBERT MARKS, Vice President of Basketball Operations, New Jersey Nets
• MATT PACE, Counsel, Herrick Feinstein LLP
• FERNANDO TAMAYO, International Scouting Coordinator, Boston Red Sox
• JOHN VOLPERIAN, Host, “Beyond the Game”

1:00pm-1:45pm – Lunch

1:45-2:45 – Keynote Address

• JOHN P. McENROE, Of Counsel, Paul Weiss Rifkind Garrison and Wharton

2:45pm-2:50pm Break

2:50-4:35pm Panel 3: The Future and Evolutions of Sports Salary Arbitration

• Moderator: BETH SCHWARTZ, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, Director of Professional Skills
• JESSICA BERMAN, Associate Counsel, National Hockey League
• JON R. FETTEROLF, Partner, Williams and Connolly LLP
• ADAM LUPION, Senior Associate, Proskauer Rose LLP
• MEL SOUTHARD, Principal, Excalibur Sports, Inc.

Have you heard anything about Casey Close leaving CAA to start up his own company with David Falk?

Apparently, the rumor had been floating around for a month or so, but after doing some research, I had no way to confirm it.  Thus, I never ran the story.  Now, I come to find out that Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal reported yesterday that Casey Close may, in fact, leave juggernaut Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and may be considering either starting up his own practice, or joining David Falk at FAME.

Casey Close used to be the captain of the CAA Baseball ship, but as of roughly nine months ago, five different CAA baseball agents began splitting the responsibilities of division director.  Those agents are: Nez Balelo, Brodie Van Wagenen, Jeff Berry, Joe Urbon and Greg Landry.  I find that interesting, since Casey Close is still with CAA, has not officially announced that he will be leaving, yet CAA changed the structure of the baseball division.

Here are some of the names you have heard of that are currently represented by Casey Close (some are split between Close and another agent): Ben Sheets, Jason Jennings, Aaron Hill, Derrick Lee, Josh Vitters, Connor Jackson, Buster Posey, Jeremy Sowers, Jamey Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, Justin Maxwell, John Lannan, Jeremy Guthrie, Chris Lambert, John Mayberry Jr., Jeff Clement, Jeff Niemann, Gil Meche, Alex Gordon, Josh Fields, Michael Cuddyer, and some guys named Ryan Howard and Derek Jeter.

Talk about a client list.  It will be interesting to see which players stay with CAA and which ones leave with Casey Close, and if any battle ensues between the entities prior to or after Close leaves the agency (if he leaves at the culmination of his current contract).  Time to pull out the employment contracts!

Last week, I read one of the best pieces of journalism that I have been able to find on ESPN.com in quite some time.  The title of the piece is, The curious case of Deion Sanders.  Be warned, it is not one of the short fact-based pieces you are accustomed to finding on ESPN.  I find it quite interesting based on my limited coverage of Deion Sanders on this site in the past.

My coverage of Sanders started with a Facebook post made by soon-to-be first round pick, Dez Bryant, when Bryant revealed that he was being suspended by the NCAA because he went to Deion Sanders’ house, the NCAA found out, and Bryant lied to them because he thought that telling the truth would be a violation of NCAA rules.  Rumors started that Deion’s relation to agent Eugene Parker would lead Bryant to Parker.  Whether those rumors were true or not, Bryant did in fact eventually select Parker to be his agent.  I looked into that a little further in a piece titled, Dez Bryant Speaks About Deion Sanders And Eugene Parker.

So now we have this new piece by Seth Wickersham of ESPN the Magazine.  Here is a portion of that story that adds some thought to my previous discussion of the Bryant, Sanders, Parker matter.

When Bryant returned to Oklahoma State, he started asking his coaches questions about agents and his pro career — the kind of questions the sophomore had never asked before. His coaches wondered, Why now? Was Sanders helping Bryant out of kindness? Or was he steering a first-round talent to his friend, agent Eugene Parker?

Suspecting the worst, OSU receivers coach Gunter Brewer and then-compliance director Scott Williams ordered Bryant to limit his interactions with Sanders to texts and phone calls. Bryant agreed, but there was still cause for concern; he was notoriously unreliable, and getting him to focus on even simple tasks like attending class was a daily struggle.

OSU officials say they tried to set up a conference call with Sanders, hoping to guard against any rules violations, but they never connected — although they did exchange several text messages with him. Over the summer, Williams got the call he feared, when the NCAA asked to interview Bryant. On July 24, the wideout answered questions about Sanders and Parker for two hours. Bryant told investigators the same thing he says now: “Deion never talked about Parker.”

The NCAA didn’t buy it. Bryant was interviewed again in August and once more in September. “I answered all the questions the best way I could,” he says. “But they’d say, ‘I’m going to ask you one more time’ … making me think I’d done something wrong.” So Bryant lied about visiting Sanders at Prime U and dining at his mansion. Neither of those things was a violation. The trouble came when the NCAA interviewed Sanders, who repeatedly denied being a runner for Parker but who also told the investigators that he had hosted Bryant at his house. Bryant’s lie — not anything Sanders did — ultimately resulted in a suspension that caused the receiver to miss all but the first three games of the 2009 season. “I don’t feel like Dez’s suspension was Deion’s fault,” Williams says, adding that Sanders was “extremely cooperative and open” throughout the process.

The NCAA has closed its investigation, but suspicion lingers, especially after Bryant, the top-rated receiver heading into April’s NFL draft, signed with Parker in January. “Why does Sanders want to mentor only the star players?” asks a college assistant coach. “I’ve got a backup guard who could use guidance. It can’t all be innocent.”

Then again, Parker represents only a few of Sanders’ Kids. The agent didn’t need Sanders to land star clients like Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald and Packers counterpart Greg Jennings, guys who barely know Sanders. “It doesn’t make sense for him to recruit guys to an agent,” says Hegamin, a friend of Sanders’ since 1995. “He doesn’t need anything. He doesn’t ask anyone for anything. He doesn’t need to work for anybody.”

Sanders can only shake his head and laugh as he says, “Being accused of working for an agent? You’ve got to be kidding me!” He rolls his eyes when he hears Colt McCoy, the former Texas quarterback, talk about working at the Manning family camp and texting Peyton and Eli all the time. The NCAA doesn’t investigate those relationships, Sanders points out. Yes, he admits that if a player asks for advice while picking an agent, he happily vouches for Parker — even if that endorsement is a gotcha moment in the eyes of his critics. But should it be? Is it wrong for an adviser to recommend a trusted friend and successful professional? After all, the NCAA and the NFL Players Association do zero to protect a player who gets swindled by a bad agent. In any other field, Sanders’ advice would be seen as a matter of course. In sports, it’s seen as another reason to shake your disbelieving head.

Thoughts?

When: Friday, March 26, 2010 (12 p.m. – 8 p.m.)

Where: Pound Hall at Harvard Law School (map)

Cost: Free (my favorite price)

The theme for the symposium is “Operating in the Shadow of Upcoming Collective Bargaining Negotiations.”  Each of the panels and the keynote address will shed light on the key issues facing each league as it approaches the expiration of its collective bargaining agreement.  In addition to discussing the key issues that will need to be resolved to avoid a labor stoppage in each league, the symposium will explore how the labor uncertainty is affecting current operations within each league, and how any sort of a labor stoppage might affect the short-term and long-term interests of each league.  In exploring each of these issues, the participants will draw from their varied backgrounds to fully understand what is at stake for the leagues, teams, unions, players, and other entities close to the game.  The agenda seems to mirror that of the 2010 UF Sports Law Symposium.

Schedule:

Sports Legacy Institute Kickoff Luncheon (12:00-1:00 – Pound 334/335)

• Chris Nowinski, President and CEO, Sports Legacy Institute
• Sean Morey, Arizona Cardinals
• Isaiah Kacyvenski, Retired NFL Player
• Christian Fauria, Retired NFL Player
• George Atallah, Assistant Executive Director for External Affairs, NFLPA
• Moderator: Professor Peter Carfagna, Harvard Law School

NFL (1:15-2:30 – Pound 101)

• Adolpho Birch, Vice President of Law and Labor Policy, NFL
• David Feher, Partner, Dewey & LeBoeuf
• Neil Cornrich, President, NC Sports
• Sarah Stuart, Senior Counsel, Reebok
• Moderator: Professor Michael McCann, Vermont Law School

NBA (2:45-4:00 – Pound 101)

• Jeffrey Mishkin, Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
• Hal Biagas, Executive Vice President of Management, Wasserman Media Group
• Michael Zarren, Assistant General Manager and Team Counsel, Boston Celtics
• Matthew Hong, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Turner Sports
• Robert Tilliss, CEO, Inner Circle Sports
• Moderator: Professor Peter Carfagna, Harvard Law School

Keynote (4:15-4:45 – Pound 101)

• Robert Manfred, Executive Vice President for Labor Relations, MLB

MLB (5:00-6:15 – Pound 101)

• Daniel Halem, Senior Vice President, General Counsel for Labor, MLB
• Derek Jackson, Vice President and General Counsel, Florida Marlins
• David Prouty, Chief Labor Counsel, MLBPA
• Timothy Slavin, Assistant General Counsel, MLBPA
• Joseph Rosen, Partner, Brown & Rosen
• Moderator: Jimmy Golen, Associated Press

Reception (6:30 – 8:00 – Austin West Rotunda)

The Conference is being hosted by the Istanbul University Law Faculty Centre of Comparative Law, Moroglu-Arseven Istanbul Law Firm, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Sport Management Graduate Program, and the International Association of Sports Law (IASL) on September 6-7, 2010.

If you would like to submit an abstract of 250 words max excluding references, Tassos encourages you focus on one or more of the following areas: International Comparative Law, Policy, Sport Business Management, Strategy, Marketing, and related fields’ submissions with an emphasis on academics-practitioners collaboration prospects.  Include complete contact information and institutional affiliation. Lead authors will be notified within two weeks of submission.  Please submit the abstract by Friday, April 2nd, 2010 to tassos.kaburakis@islbc.org, or akabura@siue.edu.

Full manuscripts may be submitted to a Special Issue of IASL’s Journal, the International Sports Law Review, Pandektis, by the end of 2010. Details will follow in correspondence with accepted authors and conference presenters.

Upon acceptance notification, contributors will be required to advise the Conference Organising Committee within two weeks of intent to attend and present.

US licensed attorneys will be able to receive Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits by their respective State Bar Associations for presenting or attending conference sessions. The Conference Organising Committee is presently pursuing CLE credits sponsorship; more information will be available soon.

On September 4, 2008, I decided to take a look at the law schools that some of the industry’s best have attended in the past.  This week, BitterLawyer.com decided to take the task one step forward, ranking the top 11 agents who have gone to law school.  I have to thank the website for mentioning my name and this site in their article.

Ranked at the top of the list is Drew Rosenhaus, who went to Duke University School of Law.  He is followed by Scott Boras, who graduated from University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.  Up next are the two men behind CAA Football (Tom Condon – University of Baltimore and Ben Dogra – St. Louis University Law School).  Rounding out the top 5 is Arn Tellem, who went to University of Michigan Law School.

The comments in the post make note that most of the agents listed went to a TTT.  UrbanDictionary.com sheds some light on what TTT means (I have changed it around a bit to make it appropriate for this site).

Third tier toilet. Generally used as a pejorative term for law schools that are not prestigious, aka Top 14 law schools. To certain people, a law school is either a TTT or a Top 14 school, there is no in-between.

Vanderbilt Law School is ranked #17 according the US News and World Report, but it is still a TTT because it isn’t in the Top 14; it doesn’t matter how close a school’s ranking is to the top 14, if it is not in the Top 14, it is automatically a TTT.

I wouldn’t look too far into why many successful agents did not go to a Top 14 law school.  The only thing I would say is something I have always believed in – Going to a top school may open up some doors that would not normally exist; however, going to a top school does not guarantee success.  And TTT schools have produced MANY successful people.

What: 2010 St. Thomas University School of Law Spring Symposium

Where: St. Thomas University School of Law (map)

When: Saturday, March 13, 2010 (8:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.)

Cost: Click here to pre-register.
Pre-Registration/On-Site
STU Law Students             $15 / $20
STU Students                     $15 / $20
Law Students (Non STU)   $20 / $30
General Admission             $20 / $30
Attorneys for CLE              $30 / $40

Spring Symposium Time Line Breakdown:

8:15 am – 8:45 am CHECK IN, REGISTRATION, BREAKFAST

8:45 am – 8:55 am PANEL I (Moot Court) / OPENING STATEMENTS

General introductions made by ESLS and Board Moderators

9:00 am – 10:00 am PANEL II (A) / NCAA Athletics: More than a Deal

Panelist: Anthony Hernandez (UM Athletics), Jamie Israel (UM Compliance), Monique Garcia (FIU Compliance)

A discussion of college sports including sponsorships, compliance, and other forgotten issues facing players, coaches, and attorneys

9: 00 am – 10:00 am PANEL II (B) /Homegrown and Stable?:  A Look at Web Based Content

Panelist: Sira Veciana-Muncio (Sony Pictures Entertainment), Dainira Falk (Discovery Communications), Ernesto Luciano (Yahoo! Latin America)

The internet has become a facet of everyday life but how sustainable is the content created for the Web?  What will the future hold regarding the shelf life of content and for deals structured around that content?

10:15 am – 11:15 am PANEL III (A) / Community Development through Sports

Panelist: Derek Jackson (The Marlins), Nancy Olson (Florida Marlins Community Foundation), Latoya Williams (Orange Bowl Committee)

Community development through sports includes working with the community, local school districts, and business organizations to provide a service which can cut across cultural divides. A look at the positive effects local sports teams can have in terms of creating jobs, bringing revenue, and promoting local vendors through partnerships.

10:15 am – 11:15 am PANEL III (B) / Hollywood or Hollywood, FL: Film Making Florida

Panelist: Melissa Exposito (Exposito Law), Ruth Paul (Screen Actors Guild), Fred Moyse (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes)

Feature films and television have used South Florida as a backdrop for years.  What does the market look like currently?  What can be done locally to grow the industry? Discussion includes viewpoints from local attorneys, government, union officials, and production companies

11:30 am – 12:30 pm PANEL IV (A) Sports and Social Networking

Panelist: Johnny Williams (ProMotion Sports & Entertainment, LLC), Leslie Bauknight Nixon (Super Bowl Host Committee), Darren Heitner (Dynasty Athlete Representation)

Social networking’s explosive growth can be felt in all sectors of sports. A discussion of the legal influence or implications of Facebook, Twitter, My Space and other social networking tools on the four major professional leagues.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm PANEL IV (B) All the World’s a Stage: a Look at Theaters

Panelist: Louis Tertocha (Adrienne Arsht Center), Steven Eisenberg (Lipscomb, Brady & Bobadilla), Jeff John (Revolution Live)

Examining the issues dealing with venues; union issues, performance rights, insurance issues and the viability of managing theaters here in South Florida

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm LUNCH

1:45 pm – 2:15 pm KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Marc Stollman (S2BN Entertainment)

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm PANEL V (A): The Future of the Sports Business

Panelist: Jason Weiss (Arnstein & Lehr LLP), Jaime Vining (Lott & Friedland)

Possible Panelist: Kim Kolback (Kimberly Kolback, Esq.)

A discussion on the developing trends in contract negotiations, licensing, and IP rights tied to sports.

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm PANEL V (B): 360 and Beyond: The Future of Negotiations in Music

Panelist: Richard Wolfe (Ehrenstein Charbonneau Calderin), Marc Stollman (S2BN Entertainment), David Bercuson (David Bercuson, P.A.)

Declining album sales and a changing industry has given rise to the “360 Deal” which encompass taking a financial stake from the artist on all revenue points.  Is this the future?  What are other ways to survive the downturn in music profits?

3:45 pm – 4:15 pm CLOSING PANEL: Looking for a Client who is Looking for You

Panelist: Stephen Carlisle (Stephen M. Carlisle, P.L.), Darren Heitner (Dynasty Athlete Representation), Leslie Bauknight Nixon (Super Bowl Host Committee)

When seeking talent what are some pitfalls for an attorney to avoid?  What should they look for?  What are some of the murky ethical areas when courting potential clients?

4:15 – 5:15 pm RECEPTION

What do Deion Sanders, Michael Crabtree and Dez Bryant all have in common? Aside from the fact that they’ve all eaten dinner at chateau de Primetime, they’re all clients of super agent Eugene Parker.

What do Mike Jenkins, Chris Houston, and Shawn Springs all have in common? They’ve all fired super agent Eugene Parker.

Actually, Maximum Sports Management, which is comprised of Parker and Roosevelt Barnes, has been fired more than 15 times since 2005.

You all set, fellas? How come these dudes keep leaving you?

By most accounts, Parker and Barnes work tirelessly for their players. Their client list coupled with their long and distinguished career is more than enough proof that they do a lot right (I mean, at the very least Parker knows how to dress for success). Still, when guys have been fired by that many clients in that short a timeframe, it’s obvious they’re doing a few things wrong as well.

Unless you interview all of those players, along with Parker and Barnes, you won’t get a clear picture of what led to those firings. Athletes get rid of their agents for all kinds of reasons. Some logical, some ridiculous (shouts to Andre Smith). In either case, the firing indicates that for some reason, the athlete and the agent weren’t a match.

Parker and Barnes aren’t the only hyper-successful agents bleeding clients though.

Creative Artists Agency is widely regarded as the most dominant force in the game. Their client list is bananas. They represent Peyton and Eli Manning, Adrian Peterson, Mario Williams, Patrick Willis, and Antonio Gates among many others. They’ve got a team of agents who are superstars in their own right and every year the draft classes they land are the envy of the industry. Needless to say, the bank accounts of the agents over there aren’t in danger of being overdrawn.

With everything they’ve got going for them, every NFL athlete should jump at the opportunity to have CAA represent them, right? Perhaps, but any athlete interested in being represented by Condon and Co. should probably ask this question:

CAA, with so much going for you, how in the world do you get kicked to the curb so often?

Since 2005, the agents that work at CAA have been fired more than any other group in the industry. They’ve been axed by at least 20 of their athletes in that time, including Thomas Jones, Michael Clayton, Will Allen, Roy Williams, Marc Colombo, Antrel Rolle, and Julius Jones.

For an early first round guy, even with those firings, you’d be out of your mind not to consider them. For guys falling out of the second round, you might want to give another agency some thought.

At CAA, you’d be buried on a depth chart stacked with 1st rounders. You have to realize that no matter how many times an agent tells you you’re his top priority and he’ll do everything in his power to keep you happy, he’s about his business. The guys over at CAA aren’t any different. If you sign with them and they have ten players who earn them more dough than you, you can’t really be salty when you end up on the b-list.

You know how it goes; it’s like the girl who’s only dated athletes but tells you she’s not with you because you’re on the squad. “I’d be with you if you worked at a gas station baby.” C’mon son! You have to know, as soon as that ACL pops she’ll be wearing your teammate’s jersey. Don’t fall for the okie-doke. Like any agent, she’s going to do what’s best for her. So to circle back to the original question – shouldn’t every NFL athlete jump at the opportunity to have CAA represent them – in the words of Borat, maybe “not so much for you.”

Let’s be clear. I’m not picking on these guys. Lots of agents have been fired by a higher percentage of their players than the folks at CAA and Maximum. The fact that these two firms had more clients fire them than most agents ever get hired by, is more a testament to their position atop the industry than an indictment on their ability to hold their clients down. Both agencies are strong options for elite NFL prospects.

Having said that, the ultimate goal is to get athletes to realize that even the sexiest agencies out there have issues that need to be analyzed carefully. Athletes would be wise to dig as deep as possible into the backgrounds of the agents pursuing them before signing an SRA.

And players, take my word for it, just asking the agent why they got fired doesn’t fly. Newsflash, these guys make a living being slick and a lot of them will sell you a dream if you let them. Just keep in mind, everyone’s going to spin the story to fit their own needs. At the very least, make sure you get both sides.

Call the NFLPA and ask questions about your prospective agents. How many times has agent X been fired? How many times has he been brought up on disciplinary charges and why?

Ask the agent every one of these questions, record the answers, then ask some more.

Knowledge is power and the devil is in the details. You can never have enough information on the people who will be handling the business side of your career.

Don’t listen to me though, take it from Hov, who’s earned a few bucks in his career:

Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don’t.