Football

• The union would never sign such a waiver on behalf of its players [Players would fight NFL’s concussion lawsuit waiver; league denies plan].
• Eugene Lee (a subject of The Dotted Line) had a client start in the Super Bowl [Show me the (Super Bowl) money!].
• Must have been odd for a town to host a Super Bowl without Leigh’s annual event [Leigh Steinberg's demons].
• Drug charges in Alabama connected to an August rape complaint…oy [Jeff Rubin, troubled advisor to Terrell Owens, faces drug charges and lawsuits].

Baseball

• I assume a raise is in order [Nationals media relations manager Bill Gluvna leaves for Boras Corporation].

Social Media

• I would be the first to support this in Florida [Maryland Bill Addresses College Athletes’ Social Media Privacy].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (2/10/2012) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Basketball

• A 26-year-old former Priority Sports and Entertainment basketball operations intern making big moves in the D-League [Joey Meyer, Mad Ants 'part ways'].
• That’s a familiar last name… [Nets hire Penn grad Matt Tellem as “Capologist”].

Football

• Signed with Madison, Wisconsin-based Mark Eisenberg [College roundup: Spartans' Zweifel signs agent].
• Legal dispute between Peter Schaffer and C. Lamont Smith over finances [Agents to NFL stars mired in legal battle].
• He dropped Andrew Bondarowicz and hired David Canter [CFL all-star Mitchell takes his talents to Miami].
• This weeks’ must read [Leigh Steinberg: Setting The Record Straight On Bankruptcy, Addiction And Career].
• Very sad that agents are becoming more and more like banks [As rookie money dries up, agents continue to cut great deals for players].
• Lamonte represents Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren, GM Tom Heckert, Executive Vice President Bryan Wiedmeier, head coach Pat Shurmur, and quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple [Bob LaMonte, Our 2011 Cleveland Browns MVP].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (1/13/2012) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Baseball

• If he wins the bidding war, he could take Arn Tellem out of the agent biz [Hedge-fund executive Steven Cohen is bidding for the Dodgers].
• Scott Boras is making his pitch for 39-year-old Jason Varitek [Red Sox can often be late risers in roster moves].

Football

• Peter Schaffer’s new firm [JR Announces Official Deal with Authentic Athletix].
• Leigh Steinberg reportedly owes a lot of money to various entities [Real-Life ‘Jerry Maguire’ Facing Jail Over Debts?].
• Maybe Steinberg doesn’t think the general public should be concerned with his issue, but it is certainly a noteworthy subject for this site’s readers [Legendary Agent Leigh Steinberg Responds To Unpaid Debt Charges].
• Hard to believe that Jason Babin only has $5.5 million guaranteed on his 5-year contract [Making a list: best and worst of 2011 contracts].
• More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed since July 2011 [For N.F.L., Concussion Suits May Be Test for Sport Itself].

Basketball

• Arn Tellem and Dan Fegan listed in the “supporting cast” [What Really Happened In The Chris Paul Fiasco].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (12/30/2011) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Head over to Leigh Steinberg’s website and you will find a pretty basic layout for the sports agent who used to represent some of the biggest names in professional football.  It has been quite some time since Leigh Steinberg has found his name in the news for the representation of talent.  Lately, he has become more famous for his advocacy on matters like concussions in sport and using environmentally friendly technologies.  He also recently started writing about a variety of other topics at the National Football Post.  And of course, Steinberg continues to throw his popular annual Super Bowl party.

Yet only a few days ago, Steinberg sent out a press release regarding his signing a management deal with the Sestito Bros.  The deal between Steinberg and the Italian writer-director team was signed at Warner Bros. Studio.  Steinberg was quoted as saying,

“I truly believe that the Sestito Bros. have the all the creativity, talent, and especially technical skills to be A-list writers and directors. I’m confident that they will become household names for many years,”

Steinberg is no novice when it comes to the representation of talent; however, this is a new test for the agent who traditionally handled the business matters for professional football players.  The press release states that the Sestito Bros. have begun taking meetings with top studios execs regarding two of their recent projects.  At least Steinberg is not starting from scratch in his representation of the brothers.  And Steinberg is also quite familiar with the crew.  He is the founding sponsor of the Newport Beach Film Festival, where he found the Sesito Bros. to be “the most talented and exciting young directors ever.”

Leigh Steinberg’s First Management Agreement With Hollywood Talent from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• Cole Aldrich – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Darrell Arthur – Jerry Hicks
• Mario Chalmers – Sam Goldfeder (Excel Sports Management)
• Nick Collison – Mike Higgins (The Higgins Group)
• Drew Gooden – Dan Fegan (Lagardere Unlimited). Formerly with Calvin Andrews (BDA Sports)
• Xavier Henry - Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group)
• Kirk Hinrich – Jeff Austin (Octagon)
• Darnell Jackson – Roger Montgomery (Montgomery Sports Group)
• Sasha Kaun – Justin Zanik (ASM Sports). Currently playing for powerhouse, CSKA Moscow.
• Raef LaFrentz – Mike Higgins (The Higgins Group). Retired.
• Paul Pierce – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Scot Pollard – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports & Entertainment). Retired.
• Russell Robinson – Bob McClaren (McClaren Sports). Playing for DKV Joventut in Spain’s Liga ACB.
• Brandon Rush – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports and Entertainment)
• Wayne Simien – Leigh Steinberg. Retired.
• Jacque Vaughn – Jeff Austin (Octagon). Assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.
• Julian Wright – Rob Pelinka (Landmark Sports Agency)

Kansas produces professional basketball players.  This is only a partial listing of the many high quality basketball players to come out of the Jayhawks program in the past couple of decades.  No one agency dominates the school, and there is quite a wide spread of agents who have been able to effectively pitch their services to Kansas players.  Excel Sports seems to have a nice mix with two younger players in Mario Chalmers and Cole Aldrich, along with the best in the group, Paul Pierce.

Power forward Markieff Morris should be drafted in 2011.  The senior is 6’10, 235lbs, and puts up over 13 points per game.  Marcus Morris will not definitely leave, but if he does, he is likely to be selected above Markieff.  Josh Selby is a very talented young shooting guard, but the Freshman will likely stick around for at least one more year.  If not, he could be taken in the first round.  Thomas Robinson has a lot of potential and will be returning to Kansas next year as well.  If Tyshawn Taylor leaves, he could be a 2nd round pick, but he also has one year left if he chooses to play it out at Kansas.

Agent Selection Scenarios: Kansas Basketball from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

[Click here for pictures from Tony Dorsett's Gift For Life Superstars Super Bowl Gala]

[Click here for pictures from Dallas Superbash 2011]

Recapping Three Dallas Super Bowl Parties Through Photos from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

It was an interesting weekend in Dallas for Super Bowl Weekend. The vibe in and around the Metroplex was obviously dulled due to the once-in-a-generation snowstorm that blanketed not only Dallas, but much of the nation as well. This put a damper on many of the Super Bowl festivities until late Friday, early Saturday.

It’s been a crazy year in DFW (Dallas Fort-Worth), as we’ve hosted the NBA All Star game, World Series, had the first non-AQ Rose Bowl champion, and watched the most epic collapse since the fall of Rome (2010 Dallas Cowboys), and the Super Bowl was just the icing on the cake.

For Elaine, Michelle and me, this was definitely a logistically complicated Super Bowl, as we were scheduled to cover events in Arlington, Fort Worth, North Dallas, South Dallas – basically all over the Metroplex. This was a pretty exciting opportunity; to network with business leaders, agents and athletes alike.

The first party we attended was the Superbowl Superstars Gift of Life Foundation hosted by Tony Dorsett, honoring former Cowboys player Ron Springs, who is currently in a coma battling a kidney disorder. This was definitely a low key event, without a whole lot of fanfare, as the whole idea of it was to honor Mr. Springs and the determination of his wife and kids during his illness. I was able to meet his former teammate, Everson Walls (I graduated high school with his son), who donated a kidney so his teammate and friend could survive. If that’s the not essence of teamwork and friendship, I don’t know what is.

As I said, it was a very low-key vibe, and an older crowd at that. For many, this was their only party of the weekend. It was also a 75-85% Dallas crowd, so a big local flavor accompanied the event.

The big name people that were there were athletes. Most were Cowboys, from Walls, to Dorsett, to Charles Haley, Angelo King, and Drew Pearson. Earl Campbell made an appearance as well, accompanied by his son. It’s amazing how much his running style took a toll on his body- he said he’s a 55 year old man in an 80 year old’s body.

Our big interview that night was with Leigh Steinberg, who was very gracious in not only providing us with a shout out to Sports Agent Blog, but also talked about issues in sports business. He explained that an 18 game schedule was not healthy for players, and unlike other sports, the NFL hasn’t force fed fans. Rather, they built the brand, with naming rights, fantasy football and other items that helped the NFL have ten times the revenue in 2010 that it did in 1995 ($180 million vs 17 million).

I also asked him about the chance of a franchise in Los Angeles. He was actually the chairman of LA’s “Save the Rams” in 1995, and believes this time around it has a chance to succeed because of the backing from AEG and the Anschutz Group, among others. Our night ended around 11:30, as all of us had full-time jobs to attend to Friday, as well as treacherous roads to navigate.

Our second and third events were on Friday, the Star PR party at Joyce Lounge and the Pamela Anderson SuperBash at the Fashion Industry Gallery. Once again, the weather was treacherous and we had a late start to the day.

The Star PR party was interesting in that the host of this party wasn’t a celebrity or a player… he was a filmmaker. The reason he, director Jim Seaney made the film “Run and Shoot,” was to show a different side of high school football. He said it was “not your typical HS football film, as it is being filmed in Vancouver.”

The one thing I took from my conversation with him, is this film provides players with yet another chance at expanding their repertoire beyond football, an interesting point of conversation that was broached in talking with players on Saturday.

The party was very low key, and we prepared for Pam Anderson’s SuperBash party at Fashion Industry Gallery Dallas. This promised to be a star-studded event featuring plenty of players and celebrities. It was sponsored by Dallas sports agency Willis and Woy. Lots of people were there. This was more of a party vibe, with plenty of Playmates, athletes from playoff and non-playoff teams alike, and of course, Ms. Anderson herself, who stole the show. The vibe was definitely of the Super Bowl variety, with the high class coming from near and far. I didn’t get the opportunity to chat with many of the players, since they themselves were ogling at Ms. Anderson.

Saturday was the most packed day in our schedule. It also happened to be the best weather day… NO SNOW, NO SLEET, NO ICE and MILD TEMPERATURES. (That had to be capitalized, we all had a bit of cabin fever).

We started off with Elaine’s favorite party, the Celebrity Beach Bowl. I learned two things from that: 1) Warren Moon still throws a great ball at 50 years of age, and 2) I really don’t know half the celebrities in this world. All was well in the world though, as Dallas sports fans booed both A-Rod and Eli Manning as they warmed up during the pregame. It was entertaining, and proved to me Dallas Sports fans still have some sense. This was one of the free events during the Super Bowl, and it was very entertaining.

After that, we made our way down to the Hyatt Regency hotel for the Player Networking Event, which was my personal favorite event. I was able to talk to a ton of players and agents before and during the event, and they had some interesting things to say about life beyond football.

Nesby Glasgow, who played for the Baltimore/Indianoplis Colts and the Seattle Seahawks told me, “Players should not define themselves as a football player- it guides you in the wrong direction.” He currently teaches cognitive principles to students and players at various universities. He said “players should always ask, ‘what do I want to do next’, and realize the value of networking, seeing what you can do for someone who helps you.” He told me players nowadays don’t realize how rare it is to have a long career in the NFL, with the average career span being 4 years, and how important it is to plan.

I also talked to Kyries Hebert, formerly of the Cincinatti Bengals, who runs his own foundation, the Ky Cares foundation. He said he is trying to meet as many people as possible to help him with the foundation, as this is his primary income (he currently plays for the Hamilton Tiger Cats). It was amazing to see the contrast between someone like him, and a current Cincinatti Bengals player I met during that night, who thought he could do anything because he played for the Bengals. (uh, dude, you’re in Dallas??) We’ll see where that player is in 4 years.

Our final event was the Leigh Steinberg party at Eddie Dean’s Ranch. As I figured, Steinberg put on a huge show with plenty of celebrities and athletes (Serena Williams, HOFer Rayfield Wright, Charles Haley, etc.). Obviously, there was some great Texas BBQ, and sports memorabilia for all to see and bid on (for charity). The party benefitted the Wounded Warriors Foundation, and it certainly was a great time. We did not have much time to talk with the celebrities; instead we conversed with a radio station from San Antonio about their experiences on Radio Row (where the media is all week) and the celebrity guests they interviewed. If there is one place I want to go to at a future Super Bowl, it is definitely Radio Row, since I’m a huge sports media guy (someday, I want to have my own time slot on a sports radio show- check out my tweets for further proof-@adamrosenfield)

We did not go to any parties Saturday night due to some logistical issues, but I want to thank Darren and Sports Agent Blog for the opportunity, and hope for many more to wet my sports appetite. Next up, the Final Four in Houston.

Wrapping Up The Dallas Super Bowl Experience from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Throughout the week and weekend, the three aforementioned contributors will be interviewing guests and hosts of the events, taking pictures and videos, and Tweeting content from @SportsAgentBlog.  Be sure to follow all the action on the Sports Agent Blog Twitter page and keep checking the website for updates.

Last night, the crew attended The Gala hosted by Tony and Janet Dorsett on behalf of The Ron Springs and Everson Walls Gift For Life Foundation at The Fashion Industry Gallery.  Guests included Tony and Janet Dorsett, The Black Eyed Peas, Staff of Jerry Mcguire, Leigh Steinberg, Alicia Landry (wife of Tom Landry), Earl Campbelle, Roger Staubach, Tim Brown, Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, and Drew Rosenhaus.

Our contributors were able to interview Everson Walls and Leigh Steinberg on video camera.  Note that it is tough to make out all of their words, due to the loud surrounding noise, so be sure to turn your volume up before playing them.  Walls talks about the event they are at and Steinberg plugs his event, which we will be attending this week as well.  At the end of his video, Steinberg throws in his advice to people interested in representing athletes.  Many thanks to Walls and Steinberg for the SAB shout-outs at the end.

Follow Sports Agent Blog Live In Dallas, Texas from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

At this year’s SEC Media Days, Alabama football head coach, Nick Saban, said that the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) needs to do more to protect student-athletes from unscrupulous agents who do not have the student-athletes’ best interests in mind when offering anything of value to them.  Saban’s statement immediately gave people a place to point the finger.  Questions started to surface concerning whether the NFLPA is turning a blind eye to the lingering problem.  Could the NFLPA be doing more?  Should the NFLPA be doing more?  And what exactly can the players association do?

First of all, the NFLPA does have some power to regulate the agents that are licensed to practice within the confines of the NFL, but that power is extremely limited.  The players association certainly may decide who is worthy to be licensed to represent its member players and may also suspend or revoke an advisor’s license if it is found that the advisor is not fit for the profession.  But the NFLPA has no way to penalize a runner, financial planner, marketing agent, etc., all of whom may be involved in passing benefits to student-athletes.  Additionally, the NFLPA can do no more than suspend/revoke a license or levy a fine on a certified advisor.  The risk may be worth it to an agent.  He may see the possible consequences, see the possible gain from acting unscrupulously, and choose to roll the dice.  The NFLPA can’t put an agent, or anybody else for that matter, away in jail.  Some states can, depending on the wording of their athlete agent statutes.

And what about suspending an agent’s license to practice within the NFL?  Shouldn’t that be enough to deter an agent from pissing anyone off on the NFLPA’s Executive Committee?  When David Dunn, Chairman and CEO of Athletes First, was suspended 18 months by the NFLPA for possibly stealing clients from Leigh Steinberg, it barely affected his business.  In fact, today, Athletes First is one of the most prominent football agencies around.  The NFLPA prevented him from signing his name on an NFL uniform contract for the stated period, but do you think he wasn’t recruiting and that others at his company were not signing players?  Thus, suspending a prominent agent’s license may not even be all that effective on its own, since others at his company could theoretically work on his behalf.

This post is not intended to let the NFLPA entirely off the hook for regulating agents’ behavior and enforcing punishment when they do not adhere to the proscribed standards.  My sole intention is to make people aware that even if the NFLPA decides to ramp up its punishment, it can only do so much.  Thus, Nick Saban should consider the other ways that the agent profession may be regulated, and others should open their minds to a new statutory scheme.  That new statutory scheme will be discussed in an article I am co-authoring, which will hopefully hit a law review later this year.

Asking Too Much Of The NFLPA? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Anyway, it looks like Moon is ready to do his own thing.  This week, he announced the creation of Sports 1 Marketing, and took Dave Meltzer with him to serve as the CEO of the new company.  Meltzer used to be CEO of Leigh Steinberg Enterprises.  It also looks like Moon took an idea from his other former partners (the Tollners) with his usage of the number 1 in his company’s name.  Perhaps Rep 1 and Sports 1 will do some business together.  Then again, Moon says that the 1 comes from his jersey number.  Makes sense.

Is this the official phasing out of Leigh Steinberg from the sports agency business?  Many will say that it has already happened, but with Moon going on his own and bringing Meltzer with him on the ride, who is left at Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment other than Jeremiah Donati?

Moon and Co. put up a splash page for Sports 1 Marketing’s new website.  It is not yet functional as of the publishing of this post, but it looks like it will have a pleasant design.

Warren Moon Starts Sports 1 Marketing from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules