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.

Men Lie. Women Lie. Numbers Don’t. from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Keels got a lot of press on this website last year for his representation of Andre Smith.  Smith signed Keels, then fired him for Priority Sports, and then signed Keels back.  Rick Smith of Priority Sports was pissed.  The latest news on Keels is that he is in the process of trying to acquire a commission he believes he deserves, based on his representation of Larry Johnson when Johnson signed a contract with $19 million in guaranteed money before Keels dropped Johnson as a client (usually it is the other way around with an athlete dropping an agent).

Alvin Keels has had a lot of success in the world of athlete representation up to this point.  I find it interesting that he has decided to join forces with another agency.  I couldn’t find any information on Corporate Athletic Management, but even the NFLPA website lists Keels as a part of the company at this point.

Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal was able to figure out some additional pieces of the puzzle.  She says that Corporate Athletic Management is owned by a holding firm called Onyx Sports International, which based in Fairfield Connecticut.  Mullen also has information that Corporate Athletic Management is looking into growing its practice to represent athletes in other sports as well..

An interesting note – Lou Ceruzzi of Ceruzzi Sports and Entertainment Group, is a silent investor in Onyx.  The same Ceruzzi Sports that represents Jeff Pendergraph and was under investigation by the NBPA for donating $300,000 to the Southern California All-Stars AAU program in an attempt to represent Kevin Love.

Global Management Group’s website, http://gmgsports.com/, is no longer in service.  Keels is now a team player.

Alvin Keels And Corporate Athletic Management Join Forces from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

When the Bengals’ Andre Smith finally signed a contract on Sunday, it was released that a pretty interesting clause was stamped on it. Apparently, Smith’s contract says that his salary will be slashed for each game in which he is 350 pounds or higher and not on the active roster.

Upon learning of this, I decided to do some research regarding other players in the NFL that also have these clauses in place on their contracts. Kris Jenkins of the Jets has a weight clause implemented in his contract after he ballooned to 394 pounds from his previous 360. This was at the request of then coach Eric Mangini.

It was also stated that Kevin and Pat Williams also had weight clauses in their contracts which could have led to them violating NFL substance abuse policy by using water pills.

It is still unclear if weight clauses actually help the players. The clauses help players by keeping the extra weight off, but does it help when they limit their food intake and/or take banned substances? I don’t think so.

The Weighted Contract from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• Aaron Curry, LB, Seattle Seahawks (4th overall pick) – Octagon
• Andre Smith, T, Cincinnati Bengals (6th overall pick) – GMG Sports (Alvin Keels)
• Eugene Monroe, T, Jacksonville Jaguars (8th overall pick) – 320 Sports
• B.J. Raji, DL, Green Bay Packers (9th overall pick) – Athletes First
• Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers (10th overall pick) – Maximum Sports (Eugene Parker)
• Aaron Maybin, DE, Buffalo Bills (11th overall pick) – BEST (Blue Equity)

Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the company with the most amount of first-round selections (9), has all of its clients in camp with Malcolm Jenkins putting pen to paper on a 5-year, $19 million deal.  While the rest of the agencies listed are hoping to get exorbitant contracts for their clients, to use the figures in their recruitment packages for the 2010 class of draft-eligible players, CAA can boast that not only did the company have the highest number of first-round picks, but got them all signed before other big companies like Athletes First and Octagon, small companies with 1 first-round pick like 320 Sports, and signed their boys for good money.  You better believe that Todd France of FAAM will be using the same strategy on the recruitment trail over the next year.

Which method will win out?  The agents who have their clients holdout/threaten to sit out a year well into training camp, or those who get their boys signed for good money and get their boys into camp before the middle of August?

NFL Agent Recruitment Strategy from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Rookie holdouts are nothing new to the sports world. Every year we see a few or more rookies being advised by their agent/advisor to hold out of camp until a fair contract is signed. Before I jump to support any side, I’d like to present some important points-of-view.

From the athlete side: Professional sports are not just a game, but a business, too. Just like a worker wants his fair pay before starting a new job, so too does the athlete.

From the team/fans side: Although it is a business as well as a game, holding out of camp will pose a threat to the success of the athlete’s career; it will be like starting school late and missing tons of work and valuable information.

USA Today posted a great article about all of the remaining rookie holdouts and how their absence hurts them and the team. Here are those players:

• Aaron Curry, LB, Seattle Seahawks (4th overall pick)

• Andre Smith, T, Cincinnati Bengals (6th overall pick)

• Eugene Monroe, T, Jacksonville Jaguars (8th overall pick)

• B.J. Raji, DL, Green Bay Packers (9th overall pick)

• Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers (10th overall pick)

• Aaron Maybin, DE, Buffalo Bills (11th overall pick)

• Malcolm Jenkins, DB, New Orleans Saints (14th overall pick)

As we have all seen in the past, some “holdout” rookies have had tougher times getting starting jobs, playing to their best ability, and overall adapting to the fast-paced National Football League.

• JaMarcus Russell, one of the most hyped quarterbacks in recent years, was drafted 1st overall and has only played 19 games in his three year professional career. (Russell held out)
• Brady Quinn was drafted in the first round of his draft and has only played in 4 games in his three years in the NFL. (Quinn held out)
• Matt Ryan was drafted 3rd overall in the ’08 NFL Draft and DID NOT hold out. He started 16 games in 2008 and has become one of the most successful quarterbacks in the NFL.
• Joe Flacco was drafted 18th overall in ’08 and DID NOT hold out. Flacco also started 16 games in 2008 and has given the Baltimore Ravens great success on the field.

Now, I ask the players: Is taking a risk of not starting at all or being sub-par worth the money? Yes, you will be getting paid a lot of money to sit on the bench, but it will hit you in 5-6 years when your rookie contract is up and it is time to sign a new one. You will not be seeing those same dollars.

Is It Worth the Money? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

More recently, Anquan Boldin dropped Drew Rosenhaus for Tom Condon and Creative Artists Agency (CAA).  And yesterday, Cardinals GM Rod Graves expressed his excitement to work with Boldin’s new agents. 

Asked if there would be enough money under the salary cap to sign Boldin this year, Graves said, “It will have some challenges. There’s certainly cause for some give and take and creativity on both sides, but Tom’s been noted for that. Again, I just look forward to sitting with him and we’ll find out where we are at that point.”

I never saw a quote like that from Graves when Rosenhaus was on the other side of the negotiation table.

It seems as though GMs and other team personnel definitely play favorites when it comes to sports agents.  While Graves and others might place Condon over Rosenhaus, does it necessarily mean anything?  As long as the agent gets his client the best deal possible, quotes in an article don’t mean a thing to me.

GMs Playing Favorites? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The Andre Smith sweepstakes is over.  For now.  The newest winner (if that’s what you want to call it): Alvin Keels of Global Management Group (GMG).  Just as a recap, here is how Andre has chewed up and spit out agents thus far (in chronological order).

1. DeBartolo Sports
2. GMG
3. Priority Sports

And now he’s back with Keels and GMG.  But wasn’t Smith supposed to actually be re-signing with Priority after firing the company prematurely?  That’s what his one time agent, Rick Smith, had thought.  On May 14, Rick Smith of Priority was saying that Andre Smith decided not to fire Priority Sports and that the Smiths were still tight.  Meanwhile, Alvin Keels was asking for his Twitter fans to root him on in winning back Andre Smith as a client. Rick Smith did not believe it (or did not tell the press he believed it) at the time, but Andre was not coming back to Priority.

Rick Smith is not happy.  Here is what he had to say to ProFootballTalk.com yesterday,

“In regards to Andre Smith, we are moving forward and devoting all of our attention on the high character, hard working and honest clients of Priority Sports.

“We were asked to come in at the last minute to provide credibility to his draft status and we succeeded in that task.  Soon after the draft, Andre Smith became a tremendous distraction to our company.  What we have subsequently determined is that Andre Smith does not match the culture of Priority Sports and the character of the clients we take so much pride in representing.

“This will be our final statement on this matter.”

Is this a hit at A) Andre Smith B) Alvin Keels or C) All of the Above.  I pick answer C.  Should we expect a response from Mr. Keels?  Will it be made from his Twitter account?

And wait, Priority just now found out that Andre Smith might have character issues?  Also, what are your thoughts on agencies/agents making these types of public statements?  Does the statement do more to help or harm Rick Smith and Priority Sports?

Andre Smith Re-Hires Keels. Priority Sports Pissed! from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Yesterday, I reported that Andre Smith dropped his third agent (Rick Smith of Priority Sports) and rumor had it that he was planning on re-signing one-time agent of Smith’s, Alvin Keels.  By the afternoon, the world was once again turned on its head.

Rick Smith was proclaiming that Andre Smith decided not to fire Priority Sports and that the Smiths were still tight.  Meanwhile, at around 2 p.m. EST, Alvin Keels was using his new Twitter toy.  He wrote, “How about this Andre Smith story? I’m in a heated battle right now to win his business back. We are in the bottom of the 9th. Root me on!“  According to Rick Smith, the game was postponed, because Andre is not leaving.

Hopefully, Jim Trotter, the guy who originally broke the story of Andre Smith dropping Priority Sports and later informed everyone that Smith would be re-signing the company, is less confused than I am.  Once we figure something out, I am sure Andre will shake things up again…he would not be my favorite 332 lb. person without those crazy antics of his.  For the meantime, until Andre Smith officially informs the NFLPA that he is rescinding his termination of Priority Sports, the 5-day waiting period before Smith can hire a new agent will run.  If by Friday Andre Smith has not yet re-signed Rick Smith and Priority, Andre will be able to sign with Alvin Keels or any other NFLPA agent that he likes on that particular day.

If I were partaking in some NFL football betting, I’d say that Andre has a lot of people talking in his ears right now.  In fact, I don’t think he’s close to making up his mind on who to select.  One day it could be Keels, the next, Rick Smith.  The fact that I have no idea how this will turn out is exactly why I stay away from sports betting.

All I know is that Eddie DeBartolo must be laughing his ass off watching everything that has gone down since Smith originally moved on to Keels.

Why Not Let Andre Smith Speak For Himself? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Before Bowl season, he was listed as the best Offensive Lineman going into the 2009 NFL Draft.  Then he was banned from playing in the Sugar Bowl for apparently having dealing with an agent (which is a big no-no when you are a collegiate athlete).  Even though Smith was suspended from what would probably have been the most important single game of his young career, no one thought that it would take any toll on his draft stock.

The winner of the Andre Smith sweepstakes was Alvin Keels and Global Management Group.  Many rumors had been circulating that Todd France and FAAM were the favorites, but Keels came out on top.  For the time being.  I doubt that Keels knew what he was getting into when the talented O-Lineman signed with his company.  Andre Smith ended up showing at the NFL Combine unfit to perform, refused to participate, and then fled the scene.  To make matters worse, the picture above came out and the press was eating it up.

Then Smith scored a 17 on his Wonderlic Test.  And then, with only days remaining before the NFL Draft, Smith dropped Keels in favor of Priority Sports.  Somehow, some way, Smith was a top 10 pick.  His thanks to Priority Sports was a big middle finger.  Yesterday, Jim Trotter of SI.com reported that Smith dropped Priority Sports and guess who Smith is apparently going to hire to fill the void…Alvin Keels.

This is what Keels had to say in response:

“I haven’t been rehired yet,” Keels told us via e-mail.  “Honestly, I might not get him back.  If I do get him back it definitely wasn’t planned that he fire then rehire me.”

But who fires an agent only to re-hire him later? Oh wait, apparently Jeremy Shockey is in the midst of doing the same thing with Rosenhaus Sports Representation as we speak.

Interestingly, Neil Stratton of InsideTheLeague.com reports that even before Smith first hired Keels, he was with DeBartolo Sports.  That means that once Smith officially signs with a new agent (or a new agent who also happens to be a former agent), it will be the fourth time he has signed on the dotted line.  Andre Smith has still not taken a snap in a professional game.

Who Wants To Be Andre Smith’s Agent? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules