Former LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson was selected #5 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2011 NFL Draft.  In the 2012 NFL Draft, another LSU cornerback may be off the board within the first five picks.  Peterson was represented by a lesser known agent named Patrick Lawlor of Galaxy Sports.  This year’s star cornerback from LSU, Morris Claiborne, is represented by a man who is oft recognized for being the agent of Brett Favre – Bus Cook.

Representing athletes from the southeast is nothing new for Cook.  Last year, his name was on the Standard Representation Agreement for six players selected in the Draft (four from Mississippi State, one from Ole Miss, and Cam Newton – #1 overall pick from Auburn).

Claiborne will not be the first overall pick in 2012 and likely won’t be the second pick either, but there is a strong possibility that he is the first cornerback taken in the Draft.  He is leaving LSU a year early, but not before earning All-American honors and the Jim Thorpe Award, which is awarded to the top defensive back in college football.

Top 2012 NFL Draft Cornerback Morris Claiborne Signs With Bus Cook from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

It feels like just yesterday that Chris “Beanie” Wells donned the scarlet and gray of THE Ohio State University.  It also feels like just yesterday that Wells was signed to DeBartolo Sports.  But back in October 2010, Wells switched from DeBartolo to Drew Rosenhaus of Rosenhaus Sports Representation (RSR).  At the time, it seemed like quite a trend; many players were leaving DeBartolo in favor of RSR.

Fast forward a year and a few months, and Wells is making another change.  He has recently dropped RSR and signed with Sean Howard of Octagon Football.

The former 1st round pick under-performed in his first 2 years in the NFL, but then had almost as many yards in 2011 as he amassed in 2009 and 2010 combined.  2011 could prove to have been very important for Wells, because he was given a chance to get a lot of carries after the Arizona Cardinals’ second round pick, Ryan Williams, ruptured the patella tendon in his right knee, and sat out the entire 2011 season.

On To The Next One: Beanie Wells (Part II) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Baseball

• The White Sox were the only team to not have a single player file for salary arbitration [Details For the 142 Players That Filed for Salary Arbitration in MLB for 2012].
• It is certainly fun to watch as these players settle prior to scheduled arbitration hearings [Arbitration Filing Numbers].
• Sad to see what has happened to the Puerto Rican Baseball League [Puerto Rico Traces Baseball’s Slide to the Draft].
• Who is going to be next? [Fausto Carmona arrested in Dominican Republic for using false identity]

Olympics

• A former subject on this site, and ranked pretty high on this list [Sports Marketing with Evan Morgenstein of PMG Sports].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (1/20/2012) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

If three years have passed since a college football player’s high school class graduated, he is officially eligible to declare for the NFL Draft.  Typically, that rule provides redshirt Sophomores and true Juniors the opportunity to leave school early and test their luck with NFL teams.

Players who are interested in declaring for the NFL prior to the culmination of their Senior seasons must express their intent to enter the NFL Draft prior to January 15 of each calendar year.  Thereafter, those players who have soft-declared have a 3-day window (until January 18) to decide whether they will remain eligible to be selected in the forthcoming NFL Draft or remove their names from the pool.  Importantly, if an underclassman hires as agent, that player will forfeit his remaining eligibility to play college football whether or not the player withdraws his name from the NFL Draft pool.

Today being January 17, there is a large group of underclassmen who have soft-declared for the 2012 NFL Draft, and who have roughly 24 hours to change their minds.  There are currently 61 underclassmen who believe that they are prepared to make the jump to the NFL.  While players such as Justin Blackmon, Robert Griffin III, and Andrew Luck are sure to be very high picks in the 2012 NFL Draft, there are many players listed who may not be selected at all.  They have taken risks (hopefully calculated risks with the advice of knowledgeable and caring advisors) to forfeit their remaining eligibility in favor of the perceived riches waiting for them in the NFL.  Further, they have hopefully utilized the NFL’s College Advisory Committee, and submitted their information to get their current draft grades.

61 Underclassmen Soft-Declare For 2012 NFL Draft from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Baseball

• Scott Boras loves creating books [After hearing Garza price, Yankees eye E-Jax].
• Magic Johnson, Peter O’Malley, Steve Garvey, Orel Hershiser, Fred Claire, Arn Tellem, Dennis Gilbert, Mark Cuban… [Torre brings credibility to Dodger ownership bid].

Football

• Usually 40-45 underclassmen get invited [Q & A on NFL Scouting Combine invites].
• Nick Saban and Les Miles will make a cool $200,000 bonus each just for having their teams play in the national championship game [From the Sideline to the Bottom Line].

Sports Law

• Show me the the “highly sensitive” ESPN and BCS agreements [Ex-players seek ESPN, BCS contracts from SEC].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (1/6/2012) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The event will take place on February 3, 2012 in Saratoga Hills, California at West Valley College.  The co-hosts claim that organizations from many professional leagues will be at the combine, and that scouts, coaches and general managers from both indoor and outdoor football teams/leagues will be in attendance.  Players from all over the country and the Bay Area region are invited to attend the professional football combine.

As part of the combine, the players will be supplied with results of their individual performance, as well as video footage of the drills that the players then can use a part of their football CV (Resume) that is sent to team personnel who are unable to attend.  Players will be tested on their 40-yard time, bench press, broad jump and pro shuttle, with other position-specific drills and one-on-ones and seven on sevens to follow.

Athletes are asked to bring appropriate workout gear and shoes/cleats with them to the combine.  Testing will take place on grass fields.  A trainer will be on hand for emergencies only (not for player taping).

Players and/or agents interested in learning more about the event and registering for it should click here.

The Players 1st & US Canada Free Agents Professional Football Combine from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

I have recently received word that former University of Miami wide receivers Travis Benjamin and Laron Byrd have selected their agents.  Both receivers just completed their Senior seasons with the Miami Hurricanes.  Neither player signed with the popular Drew Rosenhaus.  Rosenhaus has already locked up a total of seven former Hurricanes who have declared for the 2012 NFL Draft, including five who have declared as early entrants, leaving their student-athlete eligibility behind.

Travis Benjamin has signed with Mitch Frankel’s Impact Sports of Boca Raton, Florida.  NFLDraftScout.com currently ranks Benjamin as the 28th best wide receiver out of a total of 334 wideouts who are eligible to be drafted in 2012.  Benjamin was the second-leading receiver on the Hurricanes this past season.

Laron Byrd signed with Zeke Sandhu of Morgan Advisory Group (MAG).  Ryan Morgan (President of MAG) and Wynn Silberman (Senior Vice President of MAG) may also be involved in the representation of Byrd.  NFLDraftScout.com does not have much faith in Byrd, listing him as the 46th best wide receiver eligible to be taken in the 2012 NFL Draft.  The receiver from Louisiana picked an agency that is not based in Miami…and does not have an office in the State of Florida.  MAG is based in California and Arizona.

A Couple Of 2012 Draft Eligible Miami Hurricanes Don’t Pick Rosenhaus from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Last weekend in Memphis, Tennessee was a great success.  We put together a tremendous Professional Sports Counseling Panel at the University of Memphis and received fantastic feedback from athletes, parents, agents, and administrators with regards to Memphis’ first Agent Day.  I have to really thank my partner Jason Belzer; he is the reason that Collegiate Sports Advisors is going to be a successful venture.  Lots of big deals being brokered in the NBA and MLB.  Any readers spend some time in Dallas during the Baseball Winter Meetings?  Here are some stories I missed over the past week:

Football

• A few good questions for athletes and their parents to ask agents [Inside the player-agent interviews].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (12/9/11) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Thomas Mayo

NFLDraftScout.com currently ranks Mayo as the 39th best wide receiver in a 2012 NFL Draft class of over 300 wideouts.  It does not matter if you play Division I or II football, if you finish your career with over 4,000 receiving yards, you are something special.  Mayo became the 16th player in Division II history to do just that.

Mayo recently signed with Priority Sports & Entertainment to represent him leading up to the 2012 NFL Draft.  The hope is that Mayo will impress scouts at his workouts with his 6’2, 200lb frame.  They already know that the kid can catch a football.

Thomas Mayo Signs With Priority Sports For Representation from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The film “The Dotted Line” was aired on ESPN roughly a month ago.  The documentary about the world of sports agents focused on a few figures within the industry.  One of those individuals was Eugene T. Lee of ETL Associates, Inc.  Admittedly, I had never heard of Eugene Lee prior to the airing of the film.  However, I immediately took interest in Lee and his company upon watching the documentary and seeing the drive and commitment that the young agent displayed through the cameras.  I have been following his story ever since.  The following is an interview that I recently conducted with Lee.  Additionally, feel free to check out an op-ed that Lee published on Sports Agent Blog earlier this week.

Darren Heitner: You are a double Irishman, graduating from Notre Dame undergrad and law school. What made you decide to go from the world of practicing law to dedicating your entire practice on representing athletes?

Eugene T. Lee: I met my first clients while in law school playing pickup basketball at Notre Dame. I became friends with some of the players on the football team and they had asked me to become certified with the NFLPA (they knew I had already accepted a job offer with a top law firm and that I would be specializing in intellectual property and contractual law). As I practiced law in the city (for four years), all the while gaining a tremendous skill set and invaluable experience in contract negotiation, I began to represent only Notre Dame players on the side. Over time, I realized that not only did I have an aptitude for NFL player contract negotiation, I absolutely loved the work. There was nothing more fulfilling to me than working with young men of character to achieve a common goal and a lifelong dream.

Darren Heitner: One question many people probably have is how do you make money? It seems like there are so many costs involved with being an NFL agent and low margins based on a 3% cap on fees. How do you and your company survive?

Eugene T. Lee: We are very diligent and thorough in terms of scouting and recruiting players who not only have the ability to get drafted, but who will play on Sundays for many years to come. As long as pre-draft expenses are outweighed by revenues on the back end (i.e., contract and endorsement commissions), you are able to stay afloat. Obviously, some years are better than others in terms of 53 man roster percentage, but the painstaking methodology of investing the time upfront does work consistently over time. Being a relatively new agency, we have already endured the start up pains of the first few years and are now on the cusp of experiencing major breakthroughs on the net income side.

Darren Heitner: Just how brutal is the competition in the world of representing football players? How do you separate yourself from the competition, and what do you do to prevent clients from leaving?

Eugene T. Lee: NFL player representation is an absolutely cutthroat industry. Like any other professional sport, competition is fierce for top level talent. We separate ourselves from the other agencies by offering clients “big” agency benefits (i.e., access to top resources, NFL contacts and negotiation expertise) combined with “small” agency responsiveness and personalized attention. The foundation for anything we do is built on integrity and undying loyalty to our clients. Over time, the service, responsiveness and character found in each one of our team members helps build a strong bond with each one of our clients – one that is stronger than any standard representation agreement.

Darren Heitner: You began developing your sports law practice while working at various law firms. Did they know that you were developing this side practice at the time? If so, what were their thoughts regarding same? How did you manage both your hourly obligations to the firm and growing your own venture at the same time?

Eugene T. Lee: Although I was upfront about my side venture, these firms never took any particular interest in the work I was doing for my NFL clients. It was very difficult to manage my obligations to my firm and dedicate the time necessary to grow my side venture. I had not yet branched out at the time from my Notre Dame clients so the demands were less taxing than they would’ve been if I would’ve been recruiting nationally. I would essentially work a full day at the firm, then work on my agency matters at night. There was definitely a lot of work involved, but it was well worth it in the end.

Darren Heitner: Describe the process of being asked to be a part of the ESPN documentary, “The Dotted Line,” and some of the positives and negatives that you considered before deciding to offer the cameras into your life.

Eugene T. Lee: After returning from a recruiting trip to Chicago last December, I received a voicemail from one of the producers of the film, Matthew Galkin, explaining the concept behind the project. We met up the next day and I discussed what I had done to build my agency, my visions for the future and my current state of recruiting clients for the coming draft. I felt very good about my meeting with Matthew and had a very good feeling about the project which I expressed to my wife at dinner that evening. The very next day I received an e-mail from Matthew and we began shooting two days later (the first scene of the movie with Brandon Hogan). The main benefit of deciding to appear in the film was the phenomenal exposure I anticipated it would provide. Any apprehension was based on how I would be portrayed in the movie (everyone knows Morgan Spurlock’s track record), however, as we shot more and more footage and I became friends with Matthew and the rest of the production team, I felt confident that I would be portrayed truthfully and in a positive light. There are times in life when you need to have the courage to take a calculated risk and that is exactly what I did.

Darren Heitner: What kind of responses did you receive after the documentary was first aired? How did you think it has/will benefit your practice? In what ways may it set you back?

Eugene T. Lee: The feedback and positive response from the movie has been nothing short of overwhelming. I’ve been so touched by how many people were moved, encouraged or otherwise inspired by the film. The movie has allowed us to stand on our merits with some of the more well-known, “big-name” agencies in the industry – which was all I ever wanted in the first place. The movie has been a tremendous blessing to both myself and my team. There have been no negative ramifications whatsoever.

Darren Heitner: ETL Associates recently became the first agency (that I know of) to create a mobile application. How did you come up with that idea? What is the purpose for creating such an application? What has been the response thus far?

Eugene T. Lee: I was speaking with a buddy of mine (who works at the flagship Apple store in NYC) about a year ago and he brought up the idea. I thought it made perfect sense and was totally consistent with our cutting-edge, dynamic approach to representation. I teamed up with Channel V Media to help design, develop and program the app. We came up with five different categories – On The Field, On The Path, On The Know, On The Road and On The Town – each of which we considered an integral part of the NFL lifestyle. The app allows draft-eligible players to learn more about the Combine and other pertinent matters (signing bonus amounts and default language, footwear and apparel endorsements) while simultaneously allowing current NFL players the ability to enhance their travel, entertainment and career progression. We licensed 40 songs from Jingle Punks for an original ETL playlist as well. The response has been tremendous so far. People absolutely love the app.

Darren Heitner: You come off as quite the entrepreneur. Should we be on the lookout for anything else from ETL in the near future?

Eugene T. Lee: I have begun hosting a weekly online radio show on the Voice America Sports Network called “Enter The League” every Thursday at 7:00pm EST. We are also in the process of developing, pitching and producing an NFL-based reality television show. Stay tuned for more in 2012!

Darren Heitner: What advice would you give to those who are interested in becoming sports agents?

Eugene T. Lee: You must work extremely hard and make yourself a valuable commodity. Apart from the educational skill set needed to thrive in the industry (business courses, marketing, law), make it a priority to network with anyone involved, directly or indirectly, with your sport of choice (scouts, coaches, trainers). By building relationships and connections with the right people, you will be able to leverage those connections to build credibility within the industry…which leads to my final point. Always speak and act with integrity. Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it.

Darren Heitner: Does your company currently offer any internships?

Eugene T. Lee: We are currently not looking for unpaid interns, but we do file all resumes received for possible future openings.

Interview With The Agent: Eugene T. Lee from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules