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You're Fired!

The agent business is one of the most competitive and rewarding on the planet. It’s also one of the most insecure.I don’t think Drew Rosenhaus is going to lose much sleep over his recent firing by WR Anquan Boldin, but his ego will be bruised. What he may worry about is that potentially others among his 100-plus clients might find a reason to do the same. It’s happened before! Jack Bechta

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The agent business is one of the most competitive and rewarding on the planet. It’s also one of the most insecure.

I don’t think Drew Rosenhaus is going to lose much sleep over his recent firing by WR Anquan Boldin, but his ego will be bruised. What he may worry about is that potentially others among his 100-plus clients might find a reason to do the same. It’s happened before!

The King has no clothes!

I’m sure many of you remember the fable of the little boy who was brave enough to yell the five words, “The king has no clothes,” which made all those around him realize that the king indeed was a phony.

In 2001 that kid was Drew Bledsoe. The king was Leigh Steinberg.

That year, while visiting close friend and client Todd Rucci in New England, he and I went to play pool and have a few beers one night at Bledsoe’s house. I got to know Drew pretty well after he and Todd became good friends during their rookie year in 1993. 

As soon as I walked through the door, Drew immediately pulled me aside and said, “I have to talk to you. I’m going to fire Leigh as my agent, and if his assistant, David Dunn, can’t represent me, I want you to do it.” Of course, I said I’d be happy to. 

To my knowledge, Bledsoe fired Leigh for personal reasons, none of them football-related. Leigh apparently did some things that Drew had little tolerance for because he was, and is, a high-value family man. Leigh crossed the line somewhere, which made Drew lose respect for him. I believe he called David and asked if he would represent him independent of Leigh. Unfortunately for me, David agreed and went on to represent Drew and just about every one of Leigh’s 50 high-profile clients. Bledsoe started the avalanche by saying what others were obviously thinking. It was the beginning of the end for Leigh and a windfall for David, who went on to start one of the industry’s biggest agencies, Athletes First.

I doubt the Rosenhaus firing by Boldin will start the same kind of domino affect that wiped out Leigh. Drew doesn’t have an ambitious David Dunn-type working for him; he knows better. In addition, Leigh was asleep at the wheel.  Drew works 12 hours a day servicing his clients. But he might be checking the fax machine more frequently this week.

The fax machine

All it takes to fire your agent is a letter that sounds like this:

Dear Agent,

Thank you for all you have done for me to date. However, I am going in another direction, and therefore I am terminating you as my agent. 

I wish you the best of luck.

C U Later

cc NFLPA 

That’s it! I know because I’ve received about five of these in my 23-year career, and a few of them still sting. Once you receive one of these letters, your career as an agent will never be the same. The insecurity of being fired takes the fun out of the business. Most agents will tell you that they stay clear of the fax machine at all costs. I would estimate that 95 percent of all termination notifications come via fax -- and a lot of times without any warning.

I have a home office, and my fax ringer is perpetually turned off. Even though I may have one of the best client retention records in the industry and a loyal clientele, I still peek cautiously at my fax machine just like I would check a rat trap that I might set up in my garage. 

The thing that sucks in my industry is that most players fire their agents because another agent placed a seed of doubt in their minds about their agent’s ability to get a deal done. Or they played the greed card and convinced a player they could get a better deal. And in many cases, players fire agents because they think they should have more endorsement deals such as free cars, cell phones and clothing. And sometimes they are right!

I once lost a client to another agent because he told the player, “You can pay me whatever you want. You should have more endorsements, and you need to send a message to the front office.” He also told him that he would get him a radio show that never transpired. The front office let the player go to free agency and didn’t re-sign him.

We as agents can file grievances through the NFLPA against other agents for tampering in a relationship, but the problem is that your only witness is the guy who just fired you. Needless to say, the grievance process doesn’t work.

Client Loyalty

Believe it or not, there is some client loyalty in the business. I’ve been told by my clients which agents approach them and what they say. My client, Styles G. White (formerly Greg White) of the Buccaneers, for example, was approached last year by Rosenhaus at a charity event that I believe was put on by one of his clients. Greg told me that Rosenhaus approached him and said, “You have some story, Greg (he had played in the Arena League the year before and had 8½ sacks and seven forced fumbles in 2007). Do you know who I am?” Greg said he did. Drew replied, “Well, you need to talk to these guys here about me. They’ll tell you what I’m about. They’ll tell you how to get in touch with me.” As Styles was telling me this, he said to me, “Where was this guy when I was playing Arena ball for three years?” He had no idea who I was then. You stuck with me for five years until I made it. You’re my guy.”

Styles, I appreciate your loyalty. 

Another of my clients, ironman offensive lineman Chester Pitts, was recently recruited by one of the largest high-profile agencies in the business. They wined him, dined him, flew him all over and made some BIG promises. You see, Chester is one of the NFL’s best-kept secrets because he plays for the low-profile Texans. He’s due to become a free agent next year (an uncapped year) and is one of the few linemen in the league who has successfully managed Albert Haynesworth twice a year as well as several other top D-linemen. And he’s only missed seven plays in seven years.

This firm and others know that Chester has a chance to be one of the highest paid O-linemen in the history of the NFL. He’s also a smart businessman and was curious to hear what they had to say. At the end of the day, he told me that he realized they couldn’t do anything for him that I couldn’t do. I’m not offended that he listened, not at all. He has a right to get a second opinion. However, I do take offense at how the mega-agency, and one agent in particular, blatantly tried to recruit him.

Chester, I appreciate your loyalty as well, and I’m going to do a kick-ass job for you on your next deal, just as I’ve done for all my O-linemen.

Losing clients is a part of the agent business. It’s not fun, especially for a mid-size practice like mine, but having predator agents out there actually makes me work a little harder to keep my clients happy.

Comments

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Ben G
Jun 01, 2009
02:34 PM

Why are David Dunn and Jobey Brannon at Athletes First allowed to represent NFL players? Both have been suspended by the NFLPA for numerous infractions, of course to the two of them they are nothing more than "allegations", and are still allowed to solicit services for NFL players? If you cheat once, why won't you cheat again? As a single agent entity, that has to be frustrating to see potential big-money clients sign with guys that have shady track records. What does the NFLPA stand to lose by outlawing agents that have been suspended in the past? The NFL and the NFLPA would stand to improve their respective images, especially in a down economy like this where agents are publicly decreeing that their client is worth x-million dollars via twitter and SprtsCenter commercials, if it banned for life agents that have cheated in the past...I would hope "D" will look at this issue with great care now that a new CBA is going to be authored.

Gary P
Jun 01, 2009
03:07 PM

Great column Jack, fascinating insight into the world of agents. Nice way to hype some clients too!

fulltilt
Jun 01, 2009
03:32 PM

Really insightful column, Jack. Gives a good insight into the real lives of the players and their agents. Good subliminal advertising too, but if that what it takes... Keep writing!

dan
Jun 01, 2009
04:21 PM

I think shannon J is actually Leigh Steinberg. HAHA

No, seriously, thanks for the great article Jack. Really interesting stuff. (although I thought Stylez was spelled with a Z. ...maybe not) Anyway, I think all of us have a "fax machine" in our lives, and it's nice to see somebody write about theirs with honesty and clarity. Again, nice work.

And, btw, nice to hear that Al Harris is reportedly warming up to the new scheme in GB. That injury last season seems to have set him on fire. He's been Chuck Norris ever since.

dan
Jun 01, 2009
04:22 PM

...oh, they deleted shannon J's comment... Nevermind then.

Mr.Murder
Jun 01, 2009
04:24 PM

Good luck with both of those players, Pitts and White have some large paydays ahead of them, in large part due to help they got with your advise and guidance.

Clearly it is all about the players, their skills, but at the same time they needed someone who believed in them and saw a way to that better day.

That is you, Jack. You helped them in making a living through fotoball first, becoming career pros, then their ability can help them get a shot at the high status pay and play.

They needed someone who could help them get the reps and set them up with a plan to get better each year ahead of them.

Marko
Jun 01, 2009
05:11 PM

Yes, thanks for the insights! How does Rosen-Ego give his 100 clients the attention they need? Seems like he'd have them organized by A, B, and C guys and if you're a Bish and C guy you hear from him only in the months before your deal is to be renegotiated. And maybe a preprinted card at Christmas. Seems like any smart player would see through his BS and sign with an approachable, common-sense agent who would give the player the full-time attention and recognition he deserves. And, no not a freaking "twitter"; once in a while (which seems to be Drew's thing now). DR know's who is #1 and it only takes a mirror for him to tell you. It's like being a kid: It's fun to see the circus once a year, but I wouldn't want the ring master to be my step dad. Keep doing what you're doing Jack - sounds like you've got it right.

bill
Jun 01, 2009
06:23 PM

After reading Your Fired! I now understand why ARM wanted to keep this quiet. This is an article from www.sportsagentblog.com

Morgan Keegan Loses An ARM and A Leg
By: Zak Kurtz

And after that grand introduction, I would like to bring to attention the connection and pandemonium that has been kept moderately under wraps between Athletic Resource Management (ARM) and Morgan Keegan Investments.

The facts sounds similar to the troubles Scott Boras and his clients had with Stanford Financial. Boras and his investment relationship with Stanford Financials was a big story that made national news after the Madoff scandal was brought to light. The connection here between Morgan Keegan and one of the greatest sports agents, Jimmy Sexton and his agency ARM, is just as relevant. However, the story has not made national headlines like Boras’s incident and seems to have been given the silent treatment, as Sexton and ARM have done a great job of keeping their names disconnected with Morgan Keegan’s financial plunders. The ability of ARM to shield the public from Sexton’s bad investment decisions is one of the underlying reasons people do not believe that athletes and agents are really taking a hit in this economy. From hiding links connecting agents and financial institutions, to loaning multimillion dollars of client’s money, agents like Boras and Sexton just do a great job of handling the tough situations in the current economy.

Lance
Jun 01, 2009
08:57 PM

Read about Steinberg's drinking problem here...

http://www.askmen.com/sports/business_60/74_sports_business.html

Jerry in Texas
Jun 01, 2009
10:26 PM

Wow. Usually I really like reading your comments, but this time seemed to be rather snarky. Your comments on Steinberg, where Bledsoe fired him because Bledsoe "was, and is, a high value family guy", and somehow Steinberg had disturbed his sensibilities. OK- what was it that Steinberg allegedly did? Then, knowing he was the client of another agent, you made it clear (with no notice, apparently) that you were willing to steal this client away.
Sorry, I feel little sorrow and no tears for someone who, by maneuvering and manipulating, gets the right client, becomes financially secure for the rest of his (or her) life. Off the earnings of others.
Tell us, Mr. Bechta, honestly- if you had known what Mike Vick was doing with his dog fighting ring, would you have counseled him, alerted the authories- or kept your trap shut and accepted a certain portion of his earnings until he was sent to prison?
Quite simply, sir- and I hesitate to type this- after reading this article, I'm not sure.

b roo
Jun 01, 2009
10:54 PM

Jerry,
Don't drag the Lone Star State into your weirdo ramblings please. That was probably the worst comment I've ever seen on this site. Take that junk over to PFT.

dan
Jun 01, 2009
10:58 PM

Jerry, I'd say that you're "shooting the messenger" here. Jack's just telling us about what it's like to be a sports agent. It's not always a fairy tale, man. Guys steal each other's clients sometimes. Deal with it. ...or don't. Whatever. You can disrespect the profession or it's standards and practices if you want, but Jack's just the one who's talking about it. Talking about it doesn't make him better or worse than before, it's just honest.

But I would say that there's not much difference in an agent swiping a client out from under another agent than there would be if an insurance salesman does a call on somebody to show them how they'd be better off buying their insurance from him rather than his competitor. If that insurance guy is honest and doesn't give empty, pie-in-the-sky promises, then it's fine. That the client is best served is the only issue.

To make the assumption that he'd condone illegal activities done by one of his clients is a huge leap.

...and using Vick as an example is kinda' reactionary. ...and, if you'll excuse me for saying so, a bit preposterous. Vick's practically a comic-book villain at this point. You might as well accuse Jack by saying "you know, that's just the sort of thing that Lord Sidious did in episode III."

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