I already reported on Sexton’s signing of Memphis Defensive Tackle Dontari Poe.   The NFL’s College Advisory Committee, provided Poe his Draft grade (2nd round) prior to Poe signing with Sexton and entering his name into the 2012 NFL Draft.

More recently, Sexton signed former Alabama running back and Heisman Trophy Finalist, Trent Richardson.  I will let the video below do all the talking.

Heisman Finalist Trent Richardson Signs With Jimmy Sexton (CAA) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Robert Griffin III’s statement that he signed with Ben Dogra of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) was anticipated.  His decision to wear Barney socks at the press conference where he made his representation announcement, less so.  RG III joins a CAA NFL Draft class that is known year-in-and-out to be among, if not the best in the country.  Joining RG III as CAA clients eligible to be selected in the 2012 NFL Draft are Janoris Jenkins, Ryan Kalil, and Dontari Poe.  There will undoubtedly be many more players who decide to join CAA as clients prior to the start of the NFL Draft.

RG III has shot up draft board in the past few months and certainly benefited from being named the Heisman Trophy Award winner.  Not only does he have a great arm and a wonderful set of legs, he will probably test very high on the Wonderlic and be rewarded for the way that he interviews with teams.

RG III and his family did their due diligence when it came to selecting an agency.  Reports have stated that they met with at least five agencies recently and involved Baylor’s compliance department in the process.  CAA was one of the agencies the Griffins met with and was the ultimate selection of RG III.

Robert Griffin III Hires Ben Dogra Of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

A league source has stated that former University of Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins is now a client of Ben Dogra and Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

Jenkins was a first-team All-SEC selection.  He was named to College Football News and Sporting News Freshman All-American team.  Rivals.com ranked Jenkins as the 6th best cornerback of his class coming out of high school, and he only improved upon that ranking while at the University of Florida.  On November 10, 2010, Todd McShay predicted that Jenkins would be selected at #15 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, ahead of Mark Ingram, Nick Fairley, and Julio Jones.  But Jenkins was also kicked off of the Florida Gators team after a couple of marijuana possession-related charges.

Instead of entering his name into the 2011 NFL Supplemental Draft, Jenkins decided to play his Senior season at North Alabama.  I expect him to be a first or second round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Former Florida Gator Janoris Jenkins Signs With CAA from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Dontari Poe

While Poe admits that the decision to leave Memphis after his Junior season was the most difficult decision of his life, at least the player made an informed decision.  After Collegiate Sports Advisors visited Memphis to set up its Professional Sports Counseling Panel and informed Poe and his family about the NFL’s College Advisory Committee, Poe submitted his information to get his draft grade.  He received his grade (2nd round) prior to signing with Sexton and entering his name into the 2012 NFL Draft.  Many scouts believe that Poe could actually end up being a 1st rounder.

Memphis Defensive Tackle Dontari Poe Signs With Jimmy Sexton from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Late last night, Neil Stratton of InsideTheLeague.com broke a story that certainly kept me awake for a while.  The headline alone, which reads, “A super-agency goes supernova and in its place arises an even bigger agency,” made me anxious to click on the link and consume Stratton’s content.  I was not disappointed with the result.

Stratton wrote that multiple sources confirmed Jimmy Sexton’s departure from SportsTrust Advisors, and that he will be joining Creative Artists Agency (CAA).  CAA Football is currently run by agents Tom Condon and Ben Dogra.  Former defensive end Trace Armstrong represents a variety of coaches, including Urban Meyer.  Sexton represents both players and coaches.  He will be able to improve an already extremely strong CAA Football division.

If InsideTheLeague’s report is accurate, that means SportsTrust Advisors was a very short-lived experiment.  It was the brainchild of Sexton and Pat Dye, Jr., who merged their two respective companies, Athletic Resource Management (ARM) and ProFiles Sports, Inc.  Combined, the two entities represented a total of more than 40 coaches and 100 football players.  In the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, SportsTrust Advisors had three clients selected: Julio Jones (#6 overall to the Atlanta Falcons), Christian Ponder (#12 overall to the Minnesota Vikings), and Cameron Heyward (#31 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers).

Things to watch:

• How this affects CAA’s ability to recruit players (they were already very strong at it).
• Whether Tom Condon and Ben Dogra both continue their employment at CAA.
• Which SportsTrust clients leave with Jimmy Sexton and which of them stick with Pat Dye, Jr.
• How potential clients will react to the change.

Report: Jimmy Sexton Leaves SportsTrust Advisors To Join CAA from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

London Fletcher’s change of agents is a power move.  Per a report on SportsBusiness Journal, the linebacker for the Washington Redskins left the mighty Drew Rosenhaus of Rosenhaus Sports Representation for Creative Artists Agency (CAA).  While many On To The Next One posts are about a client switching from one agent to Rosenhaus, Fletcher took the opposite path, leaving Rosenhaus for a new agency.

Roughly 8 months ago, it was the other way around, with Brian Cushing dropping CAA in favor of Rosenhaus.  That said, it is rather rare to see a football player switch from one of the aforementioned agencies to the other.  Typically, a smaller name agent loses a client to either a CAA or a Rosenhaus type of entity.

On To The Next One: London Fletcher from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

On May 21, 2011, The Detroit News reported that Rodney Stuckey (shooting guard, Detroit Pistons) signed with Leon Rose of Creative Artists Agency (CAA).  Rose became Stuckey’s 5th agent in a span of 4 years.  He started his career represented by Goodwin Sports Management (GSM).  At the time, Steve Banks worked at GSM and became very close to Stuckey.  Banks would eventually branch off from GSM to start Banks Sports Ventures, and signed Stuckey as his one and only NBA client.  With Stuckey’s departure to CAA, Banks Sports Ventures is left without anyone to represent in the NBA.

On February 9, 2010, Banks stated,

“I’m blessed to have a guy like Rodney right now. All you need is one to make it work. It’s like the trickle-down effect and right now there are a few other guys interested.”

Back to Stuckey.  The Pistons extended him a qualifying offer, which means that if he signs a tender with any other team, the Pistons will be able to match the offer and retain Stuckey within a 7-day window.  Rose will be trying to drum up interest for Stuckey in the meantime to drive up the price of his new client.

On To The Next One: Rodney Stuckey from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Last week, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey broke a bone in his lower left leg when he was hit by Florida Marlins’ Scott Cousins at home plate.  Posey was blocking the plate in the 12th inning as Cousins reached home, hoping to score the go-ahead run and earn a victory for his team.  In the process, Posey suffered the aforementioned injury, which will likely keep him out of the remainder of the 2011 Major League Baseball season.

Posey’s agent, Jeff Berry of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), was quick to attack MLB rules that allow for such contact.  Following Posey’s injury, Berry stated,

“You leave players way too vulnerable.  I can tell you Major League Baseball is less than it was before [Posey's injury]. It’s stupid.  I don’t know if this ends up leading to a rule change, but it should. The guy [at the plate] is too exposed.

If you go helmet to helmet in the NFL, it’s a $100,000 fine, but in baseball, you have a situation in which runners are [slamming into] fielders.  It’s brutal.  It’s borderline shocking.  It just stinks for baseball.  I’m going to call Major League Baseball and put this on the radar.  Because it’s just wrong.”

We should expect nothing less from someone who advocates on behalf of his clients.  Furthermore, Berry is a former catcher himself, and knows well about the risk that catchers take by placing their body in front of a player coming full speed toward home plate.  Berry caught at the University of North Carolina Charlotte before playing a year in the Boston Red Sox minor league system.  He later earned a law degree at Oklahoma City University, which additionally helps with his ability to negotiate effectively.  With Casey Close’s departure from CAA, Berry became one of the co-head’s of CAA’s large baseball division.

Jeff Berry Wants An MLB Rule Change After Buster Posey Hit from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The Oakland Raiders certainly want to keep free agent tight end Zach Miller on the team’s roster whenever NFL games resume, and many people believe the tight end is not going to be leaving the silver and black.  However, the Raiders will have to pay him good second contract money, from which Creative Artists Agency (CAA) will take its commission.  Prior to recently signing with CAA, Miller was represented by Irvine, California based Athletes First.

Before the NFL locked out its players, the Raiders placed a 1st and 3rd round tender on Miller, making him a restricted free agent.  Prior to the start of the lockout, Miller and his agents at Athletes First had discussed terms of a new contract.  Once teams and players are once again able to speak to one another, the Raiders will resume said discussions with Miller and his new representatives from CAA.

In 2010, Miller played in and started 15 games, averaging 11.4 yards per catch and had a total of 685 yards.

On To The Next One: Zach Miller from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

You get the point.  It is a long process before an agent ever earns anything substantial from his baseball client.  The first instance where the agent expects a nice payday is when his client becomes eligible for arbitration, which is after the player’s third year of Major League service, or after his second year if he happens to have qualified as a Super Two.  So it hurts a lot when that client leaves his agent right before he finally becomes arbitration eligible.  For my football guys, equate it to representing an athlete through training for the draft, signing his first contract, and then losing him right before he signs his second NFL contract, which finally would net you decent money through your 3% commission.

The reason for this long winded explanation is that Jeff Niemann of the Tampa Bay Rays has switched from Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to Hendricks Sports.  Niemann is a 6’9 260lbs pitcher who played at Rice University prior to being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft.  He is not off to a great start this season, but the season is young, and if he manages to turn things around, the Hendricks brothers will hope to generate some nice new revenue from Niemann in the offseason.

Update (12:20 a.m. 4/18/11): I received note that Niemann actually switched agents quite a while ago, even though MLBTradeRumors.com reported that it was a recent change. Thus, the arbitration eligibility discussion regarding Niemann does not apply; however, these types of switches right before players become arbitration eligible do exist.

On To The Next One: Jeff Niemann from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules