On September 4, 2008, I decided to take a look at the law schools that some of the industry’s best have attended in the past.  This week, BitterLawyer.com decided to take the task one step forward, ranking the top 11 agents who have gone to law school.  I have to thank the website for mentioning my name and this site in their article.

Ranked at the top of the list is Drew Rosenhaus, who went to Duke University School of Law.  He is followed by Scott Boras, who graduated from University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.  Up next are the two men behind CAA Football (Tom Condon – University of Baltimore and Ben Dogra – St. Louis University Law School).  Rounding out the top 5 is Arn Tellem, who went to University of Michigan Law School.

The comments in the post make note that most of the agents listed went to a TTT.  UrbanDictionary.com sheds some light on what TTT means (I have changed it around a bit to make it appropriate for this site).

Third tier toilet. Generally used as a pejorative term for law schools that are not prestigious, aka Top 14 law schools. To certain people, a law school is either a TTT or a Top 14 school, there is no in-between.

Vanderbilt Law School is ranked #17 according the US News and World Report, but it is still a TTT because it isn’t in the Top 14; it doesn’t matter how close a school’s ranking is to the top 14, if it is not in the Top 14, it is automatically a TTT.

I wouldn’t look too far into why many successful agents did not go to a Top 14 law school.  The only thing I would say is something I have always believed in – Going to a top school may open up some doors that would not normally exist; however, going to a top school does not guarantee success.  And TTT schools have produced MANY successful people.

First Round

1. St. Louis Rams – Ndamukong Suh – DT – Nebraska – Roosevelt Barnes (Maximum Sports)

2. Detroit Lions – Derrick Morgan – DE – Georgia Tech – Tom Condon and Ben Dogra (CAA)

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Eric Berry – S – Tennessee – Chad Speck (Allegiant Athletic Agency)

4. Washington Redskins – Jimmy Clausen – QB – Notre Dame – Gary Wichard (Pro Tect Management)

5. Kansas City Chiefs – Gerald McCoy – DT – Oklahoma – Tom Condon, Ben Dogra, and Kelli Masters (CAA & Kelli Masters Management)

6. Seattle Seahawks – Russell Okung – OT – Oklahoma State – Peter Schaffer and Lamont Smith (All Pro Sports & Entertainment)

7. Cleveland Browns – Joe Haden – CB – Florida – DSI Sports

8. Oakland Raiders – Bryan Bulaga – OT – Iowa – Tom Condon and Ben Dogra (CAA)

9. Buffalo Bills – Dez Bryant – WR – Oklahoma State – Eugene Parker (Maximum Sports)

10. Denver Broncos (from Chicago) – Rolano McClain – LB – Alabama – Pat Dye (ProFiles Sports)

11. Jacksonville Jaguars – Arrelious Benn – WR – Illinois – Gary Wichard (Pro Tect Management)

12. Miami Dolphins – Jermaine Gresham – TE – Oklahoma – Tom Condon and Ben Dogra (CAA)

13. San Francisco 49ers – Taylor Mays – S – USC – Gary Wichard (Pro Tect Management)

14. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver) – C.J. Spiller – RB – Clemson – Gary Wichard (Pro Tect Management)

15. New York Giants – Brandon Spikes – LB – Florida – Terry Watson (Watson Sports Agency)

16. Tennessee Titans – Kyle Wilson – CB – Boise State – Joel Segal and Chafie Fields (BEST)

17. San Francisco 49ers (from Carolina) – Mike Iupati – OG – Idaho – Ryan Tollner (Rep 1 Sports)

18. Pittsburgh Steelers – Golden Tate – WR – Notre Dame – Todd France (FAAM)

19. Atlanta Falcons – Anthony Davis – OT – Rutgers – Sunny Shah (320 Sports)

20. Houston Texans – Earl Thomas – S – Texas – David Dunn, Joby Branion, Mark Humenik, Andrew Kessler and Justin Schulman (Athletes First)

21. Cincinnati Bengals – Aaron Hernandez – TE – Florida – David Dunn, Joby Branion, Mark Humenik, Andrew Kessler and Justin Schulman (Athletes First)

22. New England Patriots – Jahvid Best – RB – California – Tony Fleming, Mitch Frankel, Sean Kiernan and Jack Scharf (Impact Sports)

23. Green Bay Packers – Brandon Graham – DE – Michigan – Joel Segal (BEST)

24. Philadelphia Eagles – Sergio Kindle – LB – Texas – Joel Segal (BEST)

25. Baltimore Ravens – Marty Gilyard – WR – Cincinnati – Andy Simms and Nate Haber (PlayersRep)

26. Arizona Cardinals – Rob Gronkowski – TE – Arizona – Drew Rosenhaus (Rosenhaus Sports Representation)

27. Dallas Cowboys – Bruce Campbell – OT – Maryland – Drew Rosenhaus (Rosenhaus Sports Representation)

28. San Diego Chargers – Sean Weatherspoon – LB – Chargers – David Dunn, Joby Branion, Mark Humenik, Andrew Kessler and Justin Schulman (Athletes First)

29. New York Jets – Everson Griffen – DE – USC – Gary Wichard (Pro Tect Management)

30. Minnesota Vikings – Donovan Warren – CB – Michigan – Drew Rosenhaus (Rosenhaus Sports Representation)

31. Indianapolis Colts – Jason Pierre-Paul – DE – South Florida – Drew Rosenhaus (Rosenhaus Sports Representation)

32. New Orleans Saints – Maurkice Pouncey – C – Florida – Joel Segal and Chafie Fields (BEST)

Notes:

• Anyone have anything to add about DSI Sports (the company that Joe Haden signed with)?  I cannot seem to find anything regarding the agency.
• Rosenhaus looks to break back into having a solid presence in the first round.  That said, none of his guys look like they are going to be first half of the first round mega earners.
• Pro Tect Management is not on the same level as CAA, BEST, and Athletes First, but based on who Gary Wichard is representing this year, you would never know that his company doesn’t represent Peyton Manning, Reggie Bush, or Mark Sanchez.  Perilli has Pro Tect Management leading all agencies in first round selections.
• Nice to see my boys Andy Simms and Nate Haber possibly breaking the first round.  PlayersRep is definitely an up-and-coming agency.  They had the unfortunate obligation of dealing with Chris Henry’s death (may he rest in peace), but have managed to still gain some great clients with that heavy burden.

Wichard and Pro Tect Management represent Jason Taylor, Dwight Freeney, Terrell Suggs, Keith Bulluck, Antonio Cromartie, Elvis Dumervil, Darren Sproles…okay, I’ll stop now before I take up the entire post with their fantastic list of clients.  Wichard keeps these guys because he signs them to record deals.  It also helps him on the recruiting trail, which he is dominating so far in 2010.

Pro Tect Management is additionally benefited by the fact that it has been around for thirty years.  Wichard founded the company in 1980, after playing in the NFL himself.  It is not a huge firm with numerous employees and Wichard seems to restrict the number of players he takes in as clients.  It seems like a good strategy considering the fantastic names he has the opportunity to represent.

At this point, it is reported that Pro Tect Management has signed Arrelious Benn (Illlinois), Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame), Everson Griffen (USC), Taylor Mays (USC), and C.J. Spiller (Clemson).  All of them have a chance of being first round picks in the 2010 NFL Draft.  Is CAA watching?

Yesterday, SportsBusiness Journal released its annual 50 most influential people in sports business list.  Baseball tied Football with locking up the most slots (8 for each), Jacques Rogge (President of the International Olympic Committee) was ranked #1, and six agent types/groups were listed.

#26 – George Pyne (President of IMG Sports & Entertainment)

#32 – Casey Wasserman (Chairman and CEO of Wasserman Media Group)

#37 – Michael Levine / Howard Nuchow (Co-Heads of CAA Sports)

#38 – Scott Boras (The Scott Boras Corp.)

#44 - Tom Condon / Ben Dogra (Co-Heads of CAA Football)

#47 – Rick Dudley / Phil de Picciotto (Presidents at Octagon)

Interesting fact: Casey Wasserman (@CaseyWasserman) is the only person listed above who has a Twitter account and somewhat regularly tweets.

More recently, Anquan Boldin dropped Drew Rosenhaus for Tom Condon and Creative Artists Agency (CAA).  And yesterday, Cardinals GM Rod Graves expressed his excitement to work with Boldin’s new agents. 

Asked if there would be enough money under the salary cap to sign Boldin this year, Graves said, “It will have some challenges. There’s certainly cause for some give and take and creativity on both sides, but Tom’s been noted for that. Again, I just look forward to sitting with him and we’ll find out where we are at that point.”

I never saw a quote like that from Graves when Rosenhaus was on the other side of the negotiation table.

It seems as though GMs and other team personnel definitely play favorites when it comes to sports agents.  While Graves and others might place Condon over Rosenhaus, does it necessarily mean anything?  As long as the agent gets his client the best deal possible, quotes in an article don’t mean a thing to me.

Baseball

• Glad that Sheff is still a pro.  Love that batting stance [With Mets, Sheffield finds work quickly].
• Some words of wisdom from Jay Bruce [Stuck On The Cusp?].

Football

• Having a tough time visioning Garcia in black and silver [Raiders, Garcia agree to deal].
• Tom Condon is busy pulling up comparisons between the two TEs [Winslow deal portends riches for Gates].

Basketball

• Interesting strategy tips from Rovell [How Would Izzo Play A Raise?].
• The NCAA, like baseball before it, needs to rethink how it enforces its rules [Recruiting Violations and the Integrity of March Madness].

Sports Business

• If all else fails, represent ultimate frisbee athletes? Haha [Ultimate Frisbee On The Rise].

At Thursday’s Rookie To Retirement sports law symposium, the school’s Dean, Phillip Closius, made the announcement as many great agents, faculty and students were present. The law school will team up with local sports organizations to offer more exclusive internships and externships to students who want to focus on sports law after graduation.  More sports law classes will be offered by the school.  The school is even discussing the chance of a joint law degree, JD/MBA certificate program, in sports law.  No official date was mentioned, but the institute sounds like it will become a reality very soon.

The UB Sports Institute program will be constructed with the guidance of some great agents in the industry.  Tom Condon, a ‘81 UB law graduate, along with other Creative Artists Agency representatives will serve on the institute’s advisory board. The institute will work closely with the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens organizations, giving students a hands-on education and internship opportunities.

The Institute sounds like a great idea that other big name law schools need to mimic.   If you do not attend Yale or Harvard, the connections you build while in law school are what is most important, especially in sports law.  The sports industry is a very volatile industry that is hard to break into if you do not already have your foot in the door.  The education and connections from a sports law institute such as this could be a HUGE advantage to anyone looking to get in the industry.

Steve’s website still lists Nnamdi Asomugha as a client; however, that is no longer the case.  The former last pick of the first round for the Oakland Raiders in the 2003 NFL Draft has fired Baker Sports for Tom Condon and CAA.    Asomugha got onto the 2007 Pro Bowl roster at the last second due to another player being injured, but did not make the trip out to Honolulu.  This year is the second in a row that he has been invited to the game (although this time he was invited right after the ballots were counted).  The team captain had a Franchise Tag thrown on him before the 2008 season, which he was obviously very upset about.  Asomugha believed he was worth more than the $9.765 million he is receiving for suiting up in silver and black this year.  Angered with his current situation and not interested in a repeat, Asomugha fired Baker and hired Condon.

What will this mean for Asomugha’s cousin, Adimchinobi Echemandu, who is also represented by Baker?  Will he also jump ship and go CAA?  Will CAA accept him as a client?  Does he have any intention of following his cousin’s lead or will he act on his own?  No matter is Asomugha is represented by Baker, Condon, or Jerry Maguire, he will have only two options if the Raiders refuse to offer a long term deal and instead tag him again this offseason: Accept the Franchise Tag value for another year or hold out.

16. Theodore Forstmann Chairman, CEO, IMG (2007 – #26)

37. Scott Boras President, Boras Corp. (2007 – #12)

43. George Pyne President, IMG Sports and Entertainment (2007 – #59)

46. Casey Wasserman Chairman, CEO, Wasserman Media Group (2007 – #79)

70. Tom Condon NFL Agent, CAA (2007 – #90)

98. Arn Tellem President, WMG Management (2007 – #83)

Not ranked. Gene Upshaw Chairman, NFLPA (2007 – #33)

Not ranked. Mark Steinberg SVP and global managing director of golf, IMG (2007 – #72)

Observations

• Similar to last year, I must say that IMG is getting mucho love from the voters.  Forstmann and Pyne received a boost; however, what the hell happened to Steinberg?  He gets his client, Tiger Woods, #1 for two consecutive years and has his name drop off the list?  Where is the justice in that?
• Gene Upshaw, may he rest in piece, must have been left off the list due to his recent death.  Had he still been living, I would bet my money that he makes the list in 2008.
• Wasserman jumps more than thirty slots but Tellem goes down fifteen?  Tellem absolutely tore it up this year with BJ Armstrong is his more than able wingman.  At least no basketball agent was positioned ahead of Tellem on the list.
• Boras has had his fair share of bad moments in the media this year.  While he is still making a lot of money for his clients, I understand why voters have positioned him lower on the rankings.

Last, here is an interesting opinion from Darren Rovell of CNBC regarding agents in this listing:

The most glaring omission from a sector standpoint is the agents. Most notably, Drew Rosenhaus, who I had as No. 20 on my list, is even not in BW’s top 100. Agents Scott Boras (37), Tom Condon (70) and Arn Tellem (98) appear on the list, but I might have had Aaron and Eric Goodwin on the list this year, particularly because of the shoe deals they structured for Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard and Candace Parker.

I agree.  Rosenhaus above the Goodwins, but all of them deserve to be mentioned.  Next question…

Sports Agents