Last week, the company that employs NFLPA Contract Advisor Joel Segal (Lagardère Unlimited) shifted the balance of power in the world of athlete representation by acquiring Scottsdale, Arizona-based Gaylord Sports Management Group.  While Lagardère Unlimited’s football division will gain strength through the acquisition, it is not as if it was struggling in any way.  In fact, Segal has steered one of the most powerful ships in the world of NFL player representation for many years.

I have already reported Segal’s signing of Arizona State cornerback Omar Bolden and South Dakota offensive tackle Tom Compton.  In addition to those two players, Segal will represent Chris Rainey, Jerel Worthy, Trumaine Johnson, and Bruce Irvin in the 2012 NFL Draft.  And I am sure that he still has at least another player who will come on board.

Chris Rainey is from my alma mater, the University of Florida.  The running back with blazing speed has the ability to break big plays.  Perhaps he does not make it as a running back at the next level, but he may be able to be a special kick/punt returner.  He is not tall, but neither is Darren Sproles.  In fact, Sproles is about 3 inches smaller than Rainey.  NFLDraftsScout.com lists Rainey as the 20th best running back in his class.

Jerel Worthy is an underclassman NFL Draft entry who was a defensive tackle at Michigan State.  He was a First-team All-American and is rated 20th on Mel Kiper’s Big Board.  NFLDraftScout.com ranks Worthy as the 4th best defensive tackle in the Draft and the 19th best player overall.

Trumaine Johnson is a cornerback from Montana who actually looks similar to Montana’s mascot on his old NFLDraftScout profile.  He was selected to the 2011 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-America Team and could be as high as a 2nd round pick.

Bruce Irvin played in that high scoring Orange Bowl, but not on the offense.  However, he was on the winning team (West Virginia).  Irvin is an outside linebacker who was selected All-BIG EAST Conference First Team in 2011.  He was a junior college transfer who really thrived in WVU’s defense. Here is some video on Irvin from the Orange Bowl.

Catching Up With Joel Segal’s NFL Draft Class from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Arizona State University cornerback Omar Bolden started his collegiate career strong by earning First Team Freshman All-American honors by the Football Writers Association of America.  In 2010, Bolden was an All-Pac-10 selection.  But then the injury bug bit him during Spring ball.  Bolden tore his ACL and had to sit out 2011.  But he recently received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, where he plans to put on a show.

Joel Segal of Lagardere Unlimited sure hopes that Bolden takes advantage of his Combine invite and performs well at his school’s Pro Day and any team workouts he attends.  I have received confirmation that Segal has signed Bolden to represent him leading up to the Draft.

NFLDraftScout.com ranks Bolden as the 17th best player in the 2012 NFL Draft at his position and the #128 player overall.  While he is currently listed as a mid-round player, strong performance at these events may boost him up to a 2nd or 3rd round grade.

Arizona State CB Omar Bolden Picks Joel Segal Of Lagardere Unlimited from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Joel Segal and Lagardere Unlimited are not known for recruiting the Dakotas.  With guys like Sergio Kindle, Terrell Suggs, Mike Vick, and Reggie Bush, Segal certainly does not have to recruit in remote areas to keep his job.  However, he saw something he liked in offensive tackle Tom Compton of South Dakota enough to reach out and pitch him on his and Lagardere’s services.

Compton has signed with Segal to represent him in the 2012 NFL Draft.  And while it is almost certain that you have never heard of the man whose last name is the same as a familiar city, Compton is noted as one of the better tackles in the draft.  At 6’6 and over 300lbs, the man is a tough load to move.  Hopefully the quarterback on the team that drafts him is able to see over that massive body.  NFLDraftScout.com currently projects Compton as a 5th rounder.

OT Tom Compton Of South Dakota Signs With Joel Segal from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The extremely talented NFL linebacker Terrell Suggs, most recently made famous for stating he is from “Ball So Hard University” (he is actually from Arizona State University, and I admit that after taking a recent trip to speak at the University, they ball pretty damn hard), has signed a representation agreement with Joel Segal of Lagardère Unlimited.  He was formerly represented by Gary Wichard of Pro Tect Management, who passed away in March 2011.  Suggs had not filed paperwork with the NFLPA stating that he had a new agent until this week.

Other former Wichard clients who have signed new representation agreements include, Calais Campbell (Creative Artists Agency), Antonio Cromartie (Creative Artists Agency), Jimmy Clausen (Athletes First), and Jamaal Anderson (Lagardère Unlimited).

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

File this under absolute mess.  Seriously.  This legitimately bothers me.  Here comes a necessary LeSean McCoy timeline:

• 10/10/11 – I reported that LeSean McCoy fired Drew Rosenhaus the prior week (including filing the NFLPA paperwork officially terminate the relationship), but rescinded the paperwork within 24 hours and decided to stay with Rosenhaus.
• 10/11/11 – I noted that LeSean McCoy was rumored to have been influenced by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Mike Vick, to leave Rosenhaus and sign with Vick’s agent, Joel Segal of Lagardère Unlimited.
• 11/7/11 – LeSean McCoy again fired Rosenhaus.
• 11/13/11 – Philly Sports Daily reported that McCoy has re-signed Rosenhaus once again.

Quite a few people have stated that McCoy interviewed agents Joel Segal, J.R. Rickert and Eugene Parker during the most recent period that McCoy fired Rosenhaus.  All along, I had assumed that McCoy would end up with Segal, but in a move that no one could have predicted, McCoy will apparently go back to being a Rosenhaus client for the third time in his short career.

I spoke to one individual with a major agency in an effort to confirm that McCoy has, in fact, gone back to Rosenhaus.  He said that from everything he understands, McCoy is once again a Rosenhaus Sports Representation client, and added, “what a mess.”  Agreed.

LeSean McCoy Is On To The Same One (Drew Rosenhaus) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

It looks like quite the battle is heating up between Ivan Nova of the New York Yankees and LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles.  Obviously, the battle is not on the field of play, as one is a professional baseball player and the other plays in the NFL.

I recently reported that Nova fired SFX, hired Greg Genske of Legacy Sports Group, a couple of days later went back to his old reps at SFX, and then once again hired Greg Genske.  As of writing this post, it is understood that Nova is with Genske.

But move to the side Mr. Nova.  LeSean McCoy is interested in sustaining his presence in On To The Next One posts.  McCoy was [Almost] On To The Next One after he fired Drew Rosenhaus of Rosenhaus Sports Representation and filed the NFLPA paperwork and all to officially terminate his relationship with Rosenhaus.  In fact, rumor had it that McCoy may have been influenced by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback  Mike Vick, who supposedly made a strong effort to get McCoy to switch to Vick’s agent – Joel Segal of Lagardère Unlimited.  It was all for naught because McCoy rescinded his request with the NFLPA and re-signed with Rosenhaus within about 24 hours.

It appears that Rosenhaus has been kicked to the curb once again.  While McCoy has not yet hired new representation, my guess is that he will soon ask Joel Segal to begin negotiating with the Eagles on a new contract.

On To The Next One [Again]: LeSean McCoy from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Yesterday, I reported that LeSean “Shady” McCoy was very close to being “on to the next one.”  He fired his agent Drew Rosenhaus only to re-hire him one day later.  After publishing the story, multiple sources have informed me that McCoy was not having second thoughts about Rosenhaus based on Rosenhaus’ culinary preference of Chickie & Pete’s.  Instead, those sources have indicated that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback  Mike Vick made a strong effort to get McCoy to switch to Vick’s agent - Joel Segal of Lagardère Unlimited.

In fact, after McCoy filed his termination letter with the NFLPA, which effectively separated McCoy from Rosenhaus (albeit for roughly 24 hours), the writing seemed to be on the wall that McCoy would end up as a Segal client.  But relentless Rosenhaus did not give up.  He pursued the re-signing of his client and McCoy eventually came back to the self-proclaimed shark.

Sources Indicate That LeSean McCoy Was Almost A Joel Segal Client from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

I know a lot of agents who love to boast about the fact that they rarely, if ever, get any sleep.  In fact, my friend Mook Williams of National Sports Management made his Facebook profile name, Mook NoSleepneeded Williams.

Judy Battista of the New York Times recently wrote an article titled, Sleep? For N.F.L. Agents, the Action Is Nonstop.  In that article, Battista mentioned David Canter, who can operate on 45 minutes of sleep (and is being talked about by many in the business after negotiating a whopper of a deal for client Eric Weddle), the CAA Football duo of Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, who have the daunting task of representing 5 first rounders in addition to Antonio Cromartie, Peyton Manning, and Nnamdi Asomugha (imagine how much time they spent on Asomugha alone!), and Joel Segal of Lagardere Unlimited, who summed up last week with the line, “Literally, no sleep!”

For more reading on the hectic weeks of various agents:

• Rick Reilly sat on Peter Schaffer’s stool for an entire day [NFL back in business].  Check out the blurb from 1:41 p.m.  4:03 p.m. blurb = Swedish hookers?  I have my guess of the agent.  I’ll keep it to myself.
• Andrew Astleford tracked down Harold Lewis’ every move at his agency’s offices in a mansion [A day in the life of an NFL agent].
• And a story we linked to in last week’s Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up, GQ’s 72-hour binge with David Canter [An Insider's Look at the NFL Free Agent Frenzy].

NFL Agents Have Been Getting Very Little Sleep from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

BenJarvus Green-Ellis has left Eugene Parker and Roosevelt Barnes of Maximum Sports Management and signed with Joel Segal of Lagardère Unlimited.  Earlier today, I noted that Barnes and Maximum Sports also recently lost Marvin Austin to Impact Sports.  Segal and Lagardère earn the right to not only represent a talented runningback, but also a player who embraces his awesome nickname on Twitter.

Green-Ellis is currently a restricted free agent with the New England Patriots.  He is part of an RB crew that includes Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen (2011 NFL Draft pick #56 overall), and Stevan Ridley (2011 NFL Draft pick #73 overall).  The Patriots tendered Green-Ellis at the 2nd round level before the NFL lockout began.  Segal will undoubtedly be working the phones to see if any other teams will be willing to spend above the tender, which the Patriots will be entitled to match (if they so wish).

I see that Green-Ellis worked out at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida during the offseason.  Ike Taylor of the Pittsburgh Steelers also worked out there, and he is also a Lagardère client.  Perhaps he had some good things to say about Segal and his company while the two were training.

On To The Next One: BenJarvus Green-Ellis from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

“Listen, I want to save you the time. We don’t need to meet. I’ve been taking money from [an agent] the last couple years, and he’s been taking care of my family too.”

Feldman has confirmed Holmes making such a statement, but Holmes denies taking money from an agent while in college or saying those words to Luchs and/or Feldman.

Based on the allegation alone, the NFLPA has a duty to conduct an investigation.  It most likely will not conduct an investigation; however, unless it has no choice but to look into the matter.  That may be the case, though, since the Ohio State compliance office is looking into the allegations, and just last week Ohio’s Attorney General warned sports agents that he would not stand for misconduct by sports agents.

While the Ohio State University is probably safe from any ramifications if it is found that Holmes accepted money from an agent (there is an NCAA proscribed 4-year statute of limitations with these types of matters), the same may not be true regarding penalties handed down on the agent who might have given benefits to Holmes while he was in school.  In that case, it will be up to the aforementioned NFLPA, State of Ohio, or federal government to take action.

Joel Segal has represented Santonio Holmes since he entered the league.  We all know that agents who pay athletes do not always walk away with the athletes as clients, but sometimes it does end that way.

What incentive would Luchs and Feldman have to lie about this or even bring it up in the first place?

Did Santonio Holmes Take Money From An Agent? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules