Cool video above, right?  Kind of makes me want to get my hair cut with Commissioner Stern.  I am back in Gainesville and ready to begin my final year of classes next week.  I made my schedule so that I have absolutely no classes on Monday, which should allow for a lot of work to get done on the most important workday of the week.  The baseball regular season is quickly coming to a close, and many of our Dynasty boys have had very successful seasons.  We are pumped for next year.  I also have a basketball client leaving for Lithuania today.  More news on that to follow.  Here are some stories I missed over the past week:

Baseball

• Purke, Washington, and Crow did not sign.  But Crow still has a while to come to an agreement with the Royals [List Of First Round Draft Picks To Sign].
• LeVon Washington could have been the biggest loser, although nothing is wrong with junior college [Draft deadline winners and losers].
• Even if Strasburg would have received a little less, Selig couldn’t be happy about the way teams ignored his bonus recommendations [$160.2 Million Spent In Top 10 Rounds].
• I would really like to see a team take a chance on a left-handed catcher [Left-Handed and Left Out].
• A proud product of the Rule 5 Draft [Bill Conlin: Say Aloha to Phillies' best-ever defensive centerfielder: Victorino].

Football

• Players are getting prepared [NFLPA's Smith warns of 2011 lockout].
• “One of the most important roles of an agent is to shine when his client gets hurt during camp.” [Negotiating an injury settlement]

Basketball

• A strong incentive to keep the weight down [Glen "Big Baby" Davis and The $500,000 Diet].
• If you’re all about relationships, that makes you a superagent, in my book [Superagent days in past, Falk looks ahead].

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.

If you are one of the lucky people to have applied this past January for NFLPA Contract Advisor certification, you most probably received an email recently that states whether your application has been approved or denied.  If approved, step one (the easy step) is out of the way.  Now you will have to attend the NFLPA Contract Advisor Seminar for New Applicants and start studying for the exam that will be given at the seminar.  A passing grade on the exam is required in order to be granted certification.

The seminar and examination will take place at The Ritz Carlton Hotel on 22nd and M Street on July 30-21, 2009.  If you have not begun to study for the exam, it is time to start cramming.  This can be an extra difficult task if you are concurrently studying for the Bar Exam as well.  Dynasty’s Football Director, Matthew Watkins, put himself through that pain last year, but impressively ended up passing both tests.

In fact, for those of you getting ready to go to Washington D.C. for the Seminar and exam, I suggest you read Matthew’s post regarding last year’s events.  It is quite informative.  As was the case last year, the exam will consist of 60 multiple-choice questions.  And in order to pass, you will need to received a scaled score of 70 or higher.

Take this test seriously if you want to become an NFLPA Contract Advisor any time soon.  If you do not pass, you may be prohibited from retaking the examination for 5 years according to new amendments to the NFLPA regulations.

Mr. Smith is only one of the many amazing names that will be in Chicago at the conference. Some of the other great names include Jeff Gewirtz, Senior VP and General Counsel of NETS Basketball/ Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. Stephanie Varvadas, Managing Attorney for Nike Inc. Donald M. Fehr, Executive Director and General Counsel for the MLBPA, Richard J. Berthelsen, General Counsel for the NFLPA,  along with Professors Richard Karcher Director of Law and Professor Florida Coastal School of Law Center for Law and Sports, Vared Yakovee Professor at USC Gould School of Law and Editor-in-chief of Entertainement & Sports Lawyer, Gary R. Roberts from Indiana University School of Law and Gabe Feldman, Director of the Tulane Univesity Sports Law Program to name only a few.

The NFL’s Junior Rule prohibits NFLPA advisors from communicating with a college athlete or any person in a position to influence that college athlete until said player is eligible for the NFL Draft.  From April 10, 2007 until March 25, 2009, the prohibition lasted until an underclassman who applied for special eligibility was placed on the NFL’s official published list that goes out in the middle of January each year.  But now, agents can start contacting early entries a little bit sooner.

As of March 25, 2009, the NFLPA is allowing certified agents to contact potential early entries after their last regular season college or conference championship game (excluding any post-season bowl game) or December 1, whichever is later, of the college football season immediately prior to the year in which such prospective player would be eligible to apply for the NFL Draft (basically the Junior year in almost all cases).

This will allow NFLPA advisors to talk to players as much as 6 weeks earlier than they were able to in the past (according to the rules).

Football

• DeMaurice Smith was selected to be the successor to Gene Upshaw as the Executive Director of the NFLPA [Smith elected to head NFLPA].
• One step in the right direction towards bringing back the AFL next year [AFL might be back in '10].
• Devin Hester is about to sport his wings with Red Bull [Hester Is A Flash In The Can].
• Great wrap-up of the early Pro Days [Pro Day Recap - Part 1].
• An agent rarely wants to see his name in the press.  This is the 2nd week in a row that we can’t help but notice Bus Cook getting attention [Agent explains Cutler timeline].

Baseball

• $1.5 million guaranteed plus the possibility of making another $1.5 million this year [Rodriguez, Astros agree to contract].

Basketball

• The NBPA was not too happy with that Yahoo! Sports article calling out Ceruzzi Sports and Pat Barrett [NBA Players Association to probe agency].

Sports Business

• Make sure you provide your clients with solid financial planners [IRS Looking At Athletes More Closely].

MMA

• Gary Wimsett expands his online presence and has a great interview with Jens Pulver [No Rest for the Wicked: Jens Pulver Fights for the Little Guy].

Basketball

• Jason Belzer looks at some young college coaches who have tons of talent [Young Guns: 3 Top Under-the-Radar College Assistants].

Golf

• From WMA to IMG [Wie to get ‘fresh start’ with IMG].

Football

• The last of the big-name inside linebacker free agents has been signed [Peterson, Falcons ink deal].
• A $16.6 million pay cut for the former #1 overall pick [Smith reworks last 2 years of deal].
• Nothing that $100 million can’t fix, right? [Haynesworth indicted on traffic charges]
• Do Trace Armstrong’s connections to CAA have you concerned about him being a candidate? [Contentious campaign, critical vote for NFLPA's top job]
• It only keeps getting worse for Alvin Keels.  I cannot imagine the amount of stress he is under [Alabama’s Tubby, Shirtless Wonder, Andre Smith].

Sports Agents

• Bruce Ciskie has doubts about Bus Cook [Is Bus Cook a Troublemaker?]

Baseball

• One of those “great stories” [Lester lands five-year extension with Red Sox].

Click here to get started on the process of applying.

Golf

• A troubling economy touches the links [PGA Tour purses likely to flatten].

College Football

• A cool 2.2 mil per year [Gundy rewarded with seven-year, $15.7 million deal].
• The Gator Nation will definitely miss Dan Mullen [Mississippi State hires Florida coordinator as coach].

Baseball

• Albert Irby has indictment dropped, but still must pay $ to Ray Lankford [Deal ends agent's case].
• A rise of 3.6% is a cause for concern? [MLB salary increase lowest since '04]
• Investing in Brazil…next up, Panama? [Rays Invest in Brazil. What Took So Long?].

NFL

• Even the NFL is not immune [NFL laying off about 150].
• While the NFL and the rest of the economy is suffering, the NFLPA is doing just fine [NFLPA earns a record $35 million].

Anyway, since many collegiate football players can now sign with an agent in compliance with all rules and regulations, it is important for them to be aware of some tips that may guide them in the selection process.  If you are an athlete or parent of an athlete reading this blog, go ahead and read over this sheet released by the NFLPA.  If you are an agent trying to secure an athlete as a client, send it off to that potential client.  I assume that he will appreciate the fact that you are going out of your way to help him protect himself considering the importance of the decision he will be making.

In the short memo, this paragraph stuck out to me:

Hiring an agent who has the most experience or who has represented the most number of players is not necessarily the best choice. There are more than 750 certified agents with varying degrees of experience and numbers of clients. “Just because an agent is less experienced or works at a smaller firm does not necessarily mean he or she can’t provide the same level of service or expertise in contract negotiations,” [Mark] Levin, [NFLPA Director of Salary Cap and Agent Administration] said.

Think about the selection process as a buffet.  If you are on any of the myriad of draft boards published by a variety of publications and websites, I am sure that you have at least a handful of agents looking to represent you.  Each agent has his or her selling points and all are different in their own ways.  What are you looking for?  Is it an agency that has a ton of clients and has the resume and experience to make you feel calm going into the draft?  Or are you looking for a smaller group that will put you at the top of its agenda and put a great amount of energy into making sure every GM knows who you are and what kind of cereal you eat in the morning?  One thing to remember is that every agent and agency started somewhere.  Even Drew Rosenhaus, who know has more clients than he does cell phones (has to be at least 50, right?), had to convince his first client to choose him over someone else who had a large client base at the time.