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Will Parker survive the Crabtree holdout?

Players want agents who fit their ‘style.’ Jack Bechta

Bookmark and Share Print This Send This October 10, 2009, 03:17 PM EST
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In the competitive environment of recruiting new clients, Eugene Parker will have a bulls-eye on his back -- a big one. Other agents will take their shots by reminding top recruits of the Michael Crabtree saga in the hope of eliminating Parker and his firm, Maximum Sports.

The longest rookie holdout I personally endured was about eight days. It finally took me getting on the phone directly with head coach Bill Parcells to get it resolved. The impasse did produce a shorter-term deal with more money and was our only tool to let the team know we felt its offer was unfair and significantly below market.

Michael CrabtreeAPCrabtree is finally signed. But will it hurt Parker's reputation?

The following year, I was recruiting a Big Ten player who told me that another agent had told him I had a history of holding out players. Considering that guard Todd Rucci had been my first and only holdout, I found this surprising. I eventually learned that every move you make as an agent is scrutinized and twisted and may eventually be used against you on the recruiting trail to tarnish your image.

So will the Parker holdout of Crabtree harm his career? The answer is an unqualified no. It may actually help him.

Although the agent community will be taking its best shots at Eugene, he most likely will end up with a new high-profile client. Here’s why:

In the eyes of the player, he simply provided a service to Crabtree that he wanted. Once the draft was over, Parker showed Michael the contracts from the previous year and the expected increases per slot for this year. Michael then set goals based on those numbers. He told Parker he wanted the following:

-- $20 million for three years (he got $19 million)

-- $19 million in guaranteed money (he got $17 million)

-- $30 million for five years (he got $28 million)

Eugene told me that when Michael set these goals, he made it very clear there was a downside risk, including missing the 2009 season and going back in the draft in 2010. Michael told him he was “willing to take that risk.”

What finally got Michael to sign was Eugene convincing him that the three-year number is the most important by industry standards and is essentially guaranteed because just about every first-round pick will be on the roster for three years.

Drew RosenhausAPDrew Rosenhaus

Every draft produces a few players who want to be treated differently than the system provides. These players will be attracted to an agent like Parker because he’s willing to give them what they want, despite the negative attention it might draw from the media and the fans.

Years ago, when Drew Rosenhaus landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated with a title that read, “The Most Hated Man in Sports,” many agents thought it would be a professional death knell for Drew. To the contrary, he actually used the article to his advantage by reminding would-be clients that agents don’t have to be liked because they’re fighting for the best interests of their clients. His business took off shortly afterward, and he attracted those players who wanted an agent who was willing to take a bullet for them. Parker’s business may grow as well, especially with veteran clients because they really appreciate an agent who can take shots from the media and the league.

I’m not saying I agree with these methods or even the Crabtree holdout. I have a different style than Drew and Eugene. My point is that there will always be a client (player) who will be attracted to hiring these guys because their “style” matches their image of themselves. So Eugene may be walking around with a few arrows in his back on the way to signing new clients, and Drew will steadily hold his large stable of 100-plus clients for the foreseeable future.

Remember, these agents are providing a service that players want.

Follow me on Twitter: jackbechta

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sjgmoney
Oct 10, 2009
10:03 PM

Sounds like you are buying Parker's side of the story, hoook, line and sinker. Also sounds like he's throwing Crabree under the bus, just liek he threw him to the media wolves at that press conference. Ask your buddy Eugene where he was the other day.

Michael R
Oct 11, 2009
02:02 AM

Not quite buying Parker's fish story here...

I have a couple of reasons for suspecting this...

1) If your target were these numbers why did they come in and ask for numbers in the 40M range and hold firm? I would argue that the 40M number was what they were looking for and notice that the total value of the contract with hard to reach incentives is 40M.
2) The initial offer of 20M was never the final offer. It was the first offer. When negotiating anything the buyer comes in low and the seller comes in high. The problem is that the seller in this case came in so incredibly high that the negotiations never even got started.
3) The compromise that was made was for this additional money to be given out in exchange for a 6 year type deal. The 49ers made subtle overtures in public on the radio about increasing the total amount of the deal in exchange for 6yrs before the season started and the crabtree camp did nothing to start negotiations.

Here is my speculation. When Parker recruited Crabtree he promised that he would get him picked as a top 5 pick if you just do everything I say. Once Parker failed to deliver on this, Crabtree got mad and Parker said even though you got picked 10 I will get you paid like a top 5 pick. That started a big fat mess. I'll bet these numbers came out of discussion Parker & Crabtree had after things got really ugly and the 40M was not going to happen with the 49ers.

Bk
Oct 11, 2009
03:05 PM

I don't buy any of this garbage. Bottom line: Crabtree got way less dollars than he was looking for, has to deal with huge unrealistic expectations and an angry NFL fanbase (or in Crab's case, a lack thereof), a tarnished rep as a diva, and a loss of possible endorsement deals (Subway was before...I'll bet many companies take a pass til he proves himself a model citizen). Whoever's fault it was doesn't matter anymore...in the court of public opinion, Crabtree, Parker, Deion and anyone else associated with that camp failed miserably.

Of course agents don't care about rep...all they care about is dollars. But I know for certain that the next time a Eugene Parker client comes up in the draft, I will be hoping and praying that my team doesn't take him. That is Parker's legacy to me....putting an individual over the team. In this case, he surely is the definitive agent.

latopia
Oct 11, 2009
03:40 PM

Sounds like you are buying Parker's side of the story, hoook, line and sinker.

Not quite buying Parker's fish story here...

---

Parker isn't beyond lying. No one is. But it's beyond ludicrous to suppose Parker or any other established agent would intentionally impugn and/or falsely attribute actionable claims to their clients.

In this instance, Parker haters are clearly delirious or similarly afflicted with *Florio Syndrome*. A chronic metastasizing condition where patient eschews reality for fantasy, conspiracy, inaccuracy, fallacy, sophistry, instancy, inveracity, mendacity. See lunacy. Si?

meateater
Oct 12, 2009
10:11 AM

No doubt there are players who want this style of representation. My question though is why would a team ever want to draft them? Let's face it, drafting is far from a science. If I'm a GM, knowing I would likely be facing a holdout would tip me to go for another player.

Come to think of it, maybe that explains why Crabtree fell so far in the draft.

Jack Bechta
Oct 12, 2009
10:36 AM
Jack Bechta

Guys, I'm not drinking the Parker Cool-aid here. Just making a point that there will always be players who will want to buck the system and there will be agents who will encourgae them to do so. Furthermore, i have knowledge that the 49ers offer was always at 20 mill with an imossible reach incentive package right up til the day crabtree agreed. There was about 8 mill added to the pot.

Meateater, YES, certain owners and GMs steer cleer of certian agents on draft day. However, there are 32 teams and they do not all share the same philosophy.

Ryan Harris
Oct 12, 2009
12:17 PM

Love the articles Jack.

I have a question; would Crabtrees agent or rather their firm handle the marketing side of Crabtree as well? I ask because I have read that whatever extra money Crabtree would "earn" by holding out he would actually lose in endorsement deals. Is there any truth to that?

Brad
Oct 12, 2009
02:13 PM

Crabby probably wished he'd waited until after yesterday debacle to come in and negotiate.....

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