“The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.” – Plato

The NFL rookie symposium, which was scheduled for June 26th, is an unfortunate casualty of the lockout.

Perhaps holding it is untenable, as CAA football agent Ben Dogra told the AP, “The truth is, how can you cancel an event that isn’t supposed to happen anyway since there is a lockout? The NFL is closed for business. Thus, to hold a rookie symposium wouldn’t make any logical sense.”

On other hand, ESPN’s Michael Smith pointed out NFL officials “guilt-tripped those rookies into showing up for the Draft during a work stoppage so they could show up and help the TV ratings and help the league’s event go on. And yet you won’t put on a symposium to help them stay in the league and not mess up the money they eventually get or make the wrong life decisions.”

The NFL’s Rookie Symposium and the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program are great programs to help young players handle their newfound income and the media, fans, agents and potentially disruptive influences. It’s disappointing that both sides couldn’t come together when it comes to helping players make better financial and personal decisions, but that’s life.

So, does not having the Rookie Symposium increase the probability of future financial problems, divorce and other legal problems? Doubtful. Unfortunately, as a director of player programs once told me, the excitement of the first few days of a pro sports career “is not a teachable moment” for many players. Top athletes need to start learning the fundamentals of being a professional while they are still in college, if not earlier.

This year’s rookie class has rough summer ahead: Lots of free time, little to no savings and possibly some significant debt (hey, that loan the NCAA helped secure on your behalf so you could stay in school another year, yeah, that’s got to be paid back starting in the fall.) But entering the job market in these dark days may help some guys see the light. As Mark Twain said, “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.”

It is too bad the NFL rookie symposium is not happening. But if you’re a rookie, deal with it. Seriously. If you want to succeed in this business, take the necessary steps to get you where you want to go. Step one: Read my publications. Here’s the deal: I will send a free copy of Go Pro Like a Pro to any NFL draftee, undrafted free agent and current NFL player. Same goes for basketball. Just email me at marc.isenberg@gmail.com.

(One caveat: Free copies are for players only. I’ve already received a few emails from agents who asked me to send free copies for their rookie clients. I applaud agents who want their guys to read Go Pro but they can purchase copies at a nominal rate. The free offer is for athletes who take 76 seconds to send an email saying they want to read Go Pro. Just like life, a little initiative goes a long way.)

DIYRS: Do It Yourself Rookie Symposium from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The new company will be called SportsTrust Advisors.  It will have offices in Memphis, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia.  Here are just a few names that SportsTrust will represent: Matt Cain, Lane Kiffin, Rex Ryan, Nick Saban, Philip Rivers, Jason Witten, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Urlacher, and DeMarcus Ware.  There will be more than 100 football players and over 40 coaches all represented by this new company.  Has Rosenhaus, CAA Football, and Todd France met its match?  And is there any company that rivals its status as being the preeminent coaches agency?

With so many football players and coaches managed by the same company, how can all potential conflicts of interest be avoided?  One thing to consider is the National Basketball Players Association’s rule against representing professional players and coaches.  What if the NFL Players Association decides to adopt a similar rule?  If it is limited to preventing an individual agent from representing a professional player and a coach, then SportsTrust Advisors would probably be able to get around the restriction based on its sheer number of employees who could interchange names on representation agreements.  However, if the restriction prevented any one company from representing both classes of professionals, it could sure make this merger rather questionable in the future.

Another issue to consider is how Morgan Keegan will factor into this merger.  Morgan Keegan Financials Inc. purchased Athletic Resource Management, Inc. in 1995.  ARM became financially connected to Morgan Keegan, and Morgan Keegan became a recommended place for ARM clients.   Morgan Keegan has been, and continues to be, sued by its clients for funds that were supposed to be long term safe retirement funds, when in reality, they were placed in very high risk security funds.  This affected many of ARM’s clients.  Amongst those affected by these actions are Donte Stallworth, Gibril Wilson, Horace Grant, Jerome Woods and many more.  Woods and his wife Dana received $950,000 in a case against Morgan Keegan for losing nearly all of Woods’ money he placed with Morgan Keegan for retirement.   Horace Grant received a $1.45 million judgment.

In the meantime, the merger joins two of the larger names in the industry, Jimmy Sexton and Pay Dye, Jr., and their immense client lists.  Good luck to the gentlemen involved.

Athletic Resource Management and ProFiles Sports Plans to Merge Operations from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

After a couple of years of answering phones, you finally get the big break and become a certified agent with the NFLPA. Although you understand that it is unrealistic to start repping legitimate players right off the bat, the excitement of finally accomplishing your dream of representing NFL players helps you forget all about the up-hill battle that you will face over the first few years of your career. As a couple years go by, you have a clientele of three players, all of whom are practice squad caliber players.

However, you’ve been scouting a wide receiver with spectacular hands and average speed since his sophomore year in college. He goes to a small Midwest school and hasn’t gotten national exposure until the beginning of his senior season, when his school upset a Top-25 program on national television. You’ve been introduced to this player, lets call him Player X, a couple times now – enough times to make it obvious that when his team’s bowl game is completed and the season is over, you want him to sign with you. Because of his emergence in the national spotlight, a couple high profile agents have shown interest in him as well. Initially, this makes you nervous, because these agents have clearly made a name for themselves in this industry, while you are still considered a “rookie” agent. You shake those insecurities away and remind yourself that YOU discovered him, YOU are the one who has built a rapport with him, and it is YOU that has always believed that Player X would be a breakthrough star.

When you first discovered him, he was projected to go undrafted. Now, Mel Kiper is projecting him to be a late 3^rd round pick. Todd McShay has been comparing him to Wayne Chrebet all week long. This is YOUR guy they are talking about! Forget practice squad, you could be representing a legitimate contributor to an NFL team!

You go to visit him in his small house, in his small Midwest town, only to be informed that he has narrowed down his prospective agent list to three. Two big, high profile agents, and you. You think to yourself, there is no way I’m going to be able to sign Player X if I have to compete with these two prolific agents. Player X informs you that he needs to take the next 4 or 5 days to think about his decision, and asks that you do not text, call, visit, or email him—as that would clutter his decision making process too much. He tells you that he asked the same of the other two agents in the mix.

A day goes by, then two days. Then three. Still no call. No text. No communication whatsoever. You know that the two agents you are competing with didn’t get to where they are by being passive. You are almost positive that they have been contacting Player X over the past couple days, and you start to think that maybe you should have done the same. It is not too late to give Player X a buzz, but you gave him your word that you would leave him be until you heard otherwise. The great agents have to be aggressive to lock down clients, but you do not want to cross that line and come off as too pushy. The clock is ticking. Day 4 is almost over.

What would you do…?

What Would You Do…? – Communication Request from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

30 percent of the sales of Tebow’s jersey have come from the state of Florida, where Tebow grew up and starred at the University of Florida.

That’s no surprise, considering the large fan base he had already built up while at the University of Florida. With the addition of Tebow, the Denver Broncos are also the #1 selling team right now on NFLShop.com

With the celebrity status and star struck fans, Tim Tebow really wants to prove himself as more than just a name on a jersey. Even after his controversial Pro Life, Pro Family commercial had aired during the Super Bowl, he still received endorsement deals with EA Sports and Nike. Although he is endorsing EA Sports and Nike, Tebow has declined other endorsement offers, including some worth more than $1Million. Why would he turn down this much money? The answer is simple; he wants to focus solely on playing football.

You can see from his hyped up change in his throwing motion, the declining of other endorsement deals, and his proven work ethic, that he is driven to become a successful quarterback in the NFL. However, I am sure that there are going to be plenty of accepted endorsement deals in the near future. Over the next few months, we will see the steps Tim Tebow will take leading up the first pre-season game on August 15, against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

Did You Get Your Tim Tebow Jersey Yet? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Last week, I read one of the best pieces of journalism that I have been able to find on ESPN.com in quite some time.  The title of the piece is, The curious case of Deion Sanders.  Be warned, it is not one of the short fact-based pieces you are accustomed to finding on ESPN.  I find it quite interesting based on my limited coverage of Deion Sanders on this site in the past.

My coverage of Sanders started with a Facebook post made by soon-to-be first round pick, Dez Bryant, when Bryant revealed that he was being suspended by the NCAA because he went to Deion Sanders’ house, the NCAA found out, and Bryant lied to them because he thought that telling the truth would be a violation of NCAA rules.  Rumors started that Deion’s relation to agent Eugene Parker would lead Bryant to Parker.  Whether those rumors were true or not, Bryant did in fact eventually select Parker to be his agent.  I looked into that a little further in a piece titled, Dez Bryant Speaks About Deion Sanders And Eugene Parker.

So now we have this new piece by Seth Wickersham of ESPN the Magazine.  Here is a portion of that story that adds some thought to my previous discussion of the Bryant, Sanders, Parker matter.

When Bryant returned to Oklahoma State, he started asking his coaches questions about agents and his pro career — the kind of questions the sophomore had never asked before. His coaches wondered, Why now? Was Sanders helping Bryant out of kindness? Or was he steering a first-round talent to his friend, agent Eugene Parker?

Suspecting the worst, OSU receivers coach Gunter Brewer and then-compliance director Scott Williams ordered Bryant to limit his interactions with Sanders to texts and phone calls. Bryant agreed, but there was still cause for concern; he was notoriously unreliable, and getting him to focus on even simple tasks like attending class was a daily struggle.

OSU officials say they tried to set up a conference call with Sanders, hoping to guard against any rules violations, but they never connected — although they did exchange several text messages with him. Over the summer, Williams got the call he feared, when the NCAA asked to interview Bryant. On July 24, the wideout answered questions about Sanders and Parker for two hours. Bryant told investigators the same thing he says now: “Deion never talked about Parker.”

The NCAA didn’t buy it. Bryant was interviewed again in August and once more in September. “I answered all the questions the best way I could,” he says. “But they’d say, ‘I’m going to ask you one more time’ … making me think I’d done something wrong.” So Bryant lied about visiting Sanders at Prime U and dining at his mansion. Neither of those things was a violation. The trouble came when the NCAA interviewed Sanders, who repeatedly denied being a runner for Parker but who also told the investigators that he had hosted Bryant at his house. Bryant’s lie — not anything Sanders did — ultimately resulted in a suspension that caused the receiver to miss all but the first three games of the 2009 season. “I don’t feel like Dez’s suspension was Deion’s fault,” Williams says, adding that Sanders was “extremely cooperative and open” throughout the process.

The NCAA has closed its investigation, but suspicion lingers, especially after Bryant, the top-rated receiver heading into April’s NFL draft, signed with Parker in January. “Why does Sanders want to mentor only the star players?” asks a college assistant coach. “I’ve got a backup guard who could use guidance. It can’t all be innocent.”

Then again, Parker represents only a few of Sanders’ Kids. The agent didn’t need Sanders to land star clients like Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald and Packers counterpart Greg Jennings, guys who barely know Sanders. “It doesn’t make sense for him to recruit guys to an agent,” says Hegamin, a friend of Sanders’ since 1995. “He doesn’t need anything. He doesn’t ask anyone for anything. He doesn’t need to work for anybody.”

Sanders can only shake his head and laugh as he says, “Being accused of working for an agent? You’ve got to be kidding me!” He rolls his eyes when he hears Colt McCoy, the former Texas quarterback, talk about working at the Manning family camp and texting Peyton and Eli all the time. The NCAA doesn’t investigate those relationships, Sanders points out. Yes, he admits that if a player asks for advice while picking an agent, he happily vouches for Parker — even if that endorsement is a gotcha moment in the eyes of his critics. But should it be? Is it wrong for an adviser to recommend a trusted friend and successful professional? After all, the NCAA and the NFL Players Association do zero to protect a player who gets swindled by a bad agent. In any other field, Sanders’ advice would be seen as a matter of course. In sports, it’s seen as another reason to shake your disbelieving head.

Thoughts?

The Curious Sanders, Bryant, Parker Connection from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Jason Kyle

Jason has been building Pro Player Connect for roughly two years.  He has branded it as a place where professional athletes can network with one another and receive offers from national, regional, and local businesses.  Companies have also used the database to offer jobs to retired athletes, and over 30 such retired athletes have already been given work through those leads.  There are also many additional features planned for the future that involves interaction with fans.  Eventually, players will be able to create video chats and appearances, provide downloads, deliver athletic tips, and conduct various types of interviews.  It should not be a problem to build as the company just received its second round of funding.

At this point, most of the 1,000+ athletes using Pro Player Connect are professional football players.  Most likely, that number will increase tremendously since the NFL Players’ Association recently put its support behind Jason Kyle’s company.  On October 20, the NFLPA was proud and pleased to announce its support of Pro Player Connect.  With the NFLPA behind this project, Jason has already been able to roll out a new feature that helps athletes with their Workers’ Comp forms.

Athletes are not charged to use the service.  Instead, companies are charged a small fee per lead.  They pay to get an offer out to the players on the website and the offer is only released to the athletes targeted if the Pro Player Connect employees deem the offer to have value.  Speaking of employees, Jason told me that there are 3-full time employees and Jason puts roughly 3 hours per day into the company, which is a big time commitment for an active NFL player.

Should this service scare sports agents?  After all, doesn’t it make agents less needed?  Jason says no.  And he encourages agents to bring their clients to the website.  If the agent is involved, Pro Player Connect will copy the agent on all offers.  If the player signs up without the assistance of his agent, the agent will lose the opportunity to be involved in all offers that the player receives through Pro Player Connect.  Jason says that the offers can be anything from $500 for a local Monday Night Football appearance at a bar to $10,000 for an autograph appearance.

I told Jason that I am very impressed with his drive and passion concerning his product.  It really says a lot about a player who is able to put so much energy into a company while taking snaps in the NFL.  I wish him the best and continued success with Pro Player Connect.

Connecting Athletes With Each Other + Businesses from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Interestingly, before hiring Drew Rosenhaus, LenDale did not actually have an agent.  The NFLPA lists his agent as Christopher Brantley of ASM Sports, but according to Brad Biggs of the National Football Post, Brantley is not an NFLPA certified advisor.  Thus, had LenDale not picked up Rosenhaus or another NFLPA certified advisor, he would have had to negotiate his next contract all by himself, which is something that most NFL players are not prepared to do (Daunte Culpepper and Ricky Williams are two of the few players who has attempted to negotiate their own deals).

ASM Sports is known for its strong basketball client list that includes Chauncey Billups, Donyell Marshall, Marreese Speights, and dozens of other talented players.  Andy Miller is the popular name behind the company, but most likely you have also heard of VP Justin Zanik.  I cannot find any information regarding the company representing professional football players, which makes me wonder how LenDale connected with Brantley in the first place.

LenDale White Switches To Rosenhaus Sports from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

When Crabtree eventually signed with the San Francisco 49ers and held a press conference, Parker was nowhere to be found.  Perhaps it is because there is no way to justify such a long holdout when your client accepts an offer that was on the table months ago.

So the Crabtree saga is done…for now.  Time will tell if the 49ers wasted a 1st round pick or not.  But what about this Dez Bryant story?  You know, the Oklahoma State football player who was ruled ineligible for this past weekend’s game (and possibly the entire season) after lying to the NCAA about going to Deion Sanders’ house and training at his facility?  Yeah, he even wrote about it on his Facebook page.

Deion has been training players for the NFL through his company, Prime U.  Pushing cars looks like a big part of the program.

Okay so Dez Bryant gets busted for talking with Deion Sanders…where does Parker come into the picture?  As the Tulsa World reported,

[Deion] Sanders resides in the Dallas area and is associated with sports agent Eugene Parker. As an NFL player, Sanders was Parker’s client. [Dez] Bryant admitted to participating in a training session with Sanders at a Dallas-area gym and to having dinner at Sanders’ home.

Oy vey.  Are we looking too far into the connection, or is there credence to all of this?  Apparently Sanders had a strong hand in Crabtree’s holdout, so perhaps Deion is an intricate part of Parker’s arsenal.  Crabtree, like Bryant also worked out at Prime U.  For now, Parker’s name is not involved in the Dez Bryant issue; however, I am sure that the last thing the agent wants at this point is his name in the media because of any possible connection.  At least Sanders is going to bat for his former agent.

“Eugene has nothing to do with this,” Sanders said in a telephone interview. “Eugene don’t do that. He’s never been in this situation.”

No Media Love For Eugene Parker from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Yesterday, Shonn Greene signed a 4-year deal with the New York Jets.  I am not a Jets fan and never followed the former Iowa RB closely, so why am I even bringing this up?  It’s because I also happened to come across an excellent post yesterday, concerning the structuring of NFL player contracts for those selected in Day 2 of the draft (rounds 3-7).  Shonn fits that category, as he was selected in the 3rd round of the 2009 NFL Draft, even though many expected the Doak Award Award winner to be off the boards a day earlier.

Anyway, Greene’s 4-year deal is unsurprising.  According to J.I. Halsell, who wrote the post linked to above, the Jets are one of twenty-five NFL teams who give their Day 2 draftees 4-year contracts.  The other seven teams, offer their Day 2 draft picks 3-year contracts.  It’s good to know which teams offer which types of contracts if you plan on representing any players who have a chance of going rounds 3-7.  Halsell notes the following teams as being the 3-year offerors: Arizona, Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Saint Louis.

Halsell goes on to talk about salary escalators in the last year of rookie contracts, and how they differ depending on if it is a 3-year or 4-year contract.  This is an area where the agent and team can negotiate terms.  Keep these things in mind as you start to see more and more Day 2 players signed to their respective teams.

Shonn Greene Gets A 4 Year Deal from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Players that are accepted to the program partake in a three-month, paid internship gaining experience in areas like communications, membership services, legal, and information systems.  Sports marketing internships are also available through the union’s marketing and licensing arm, NFL PLAYERS.  The pros must go through the same application process that students normally go through to get internships, by submitting an application, resume, cover letter, getting recommendations, submitting a writing sample, and a providing a transcript.  The only qualification…candidates must have played at least one full season in the NFL and/or AFL.  Tom DePaso, current Associate General Counsel and a Regional Director at the NFLPA and former NFL linebacker, participated in the internship back in 1984.  Being his first off-the-field work experience, DePaso said that “I would not be where I am today without having had that experience.”

The internship program isn’t the only way that the NFLPA helps out retired players.  The union holds a career opportunity expo as part of the NFLPA Retired Players Convention in Palm Springs.  The most recent one had eight employers in attendance, including New York Life Insurance Company, Prudential, and The Corporate Playbook.  Retired players can network and find out about employment opportunities from the companies in attendance, as well as have on-site interviews in private areas the expo has provided.  This year’s expo marks the fifth year that this aspect of the convention has been held.

In addition to setting up conferences like the career opportunity expo, the union set up a NFL Player Job Board in 2008 as a resource for retired players to find jobs with employers specifically interested in hiring former professional football players.  New Executive Director DeMaurice Smith has taken a proactive role in aiding former players find jobs.  He recently sent a letter to over 1,000 retired players who own their own companies or work for corporations in Florida, Texas, and California asking for help in finding employment opportunities for other retired players by listing their companies on the job board.  According to the NFLPA website, over 50 retired players have already found jobs using the job board.

While other unions like the MLBPA and NBPA help retired players find post-playing employment, the NFLPA’s efforts are even more necessary as the average career length is about two years shorter.  Retired football players have several options and resources to explore.  Agencies like Darren’s Dynasty Athlete Representation offer post-career guidance for their clients, and players often turn to their agents for help and advice when it comes to finding a new job because they have hopefully formed a trusting relationship over the years.  But the NFLPA’s continuous effort to aid athletes after their playing days are over is a noteworthy action for its players.

Athletes Intern Too from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules