Confessions of an Agent

I wonder if a rookie pay scale for the NFL would help curb some of the payments? That would seem to be in the best interests of the NCAA, NFL and NFLPA. Why pay an agent if your slot is already set? If the mega deals are gone then the 3% agent fees won't pay for so many slush funds.

 

Does anybody?

 

Clem's bank account did to the tune of $815K:

Initially unable to find just cause to fire him, the university agreed to give Haskins a $1.5 million buyout of his contract. When the NCAA later charged that Haskins "was knowledgeable about and complicit in the academic fraud," the university sued and won back $815,000 of that money.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=3510729

 

That's coming in the next CBA: in addition to an ironclad salary cap, there will be a titanium-clad slotted rookie salary system. The minute the draft is over, players will know exactly what they will be making. No more holdouts.

The differences in what rookies will make will basically come down to whatever endorsement income the agent can scare up.

 

Doesn't affect the NBA in that regard.

 

Of course, agents can help or hurt where someone gets drafted, as well.

In the NBA, Darrell Arthur was a top 15 guy who fell to 28th because there was concerns about his kidneys. He had his slimeball AAU coach serving as his mentor because he didn't want to hire one and jeopardize his chance to go back to school if he got injured in pre-draft workouts.

His AAU coach/loser didn't get the word out that his kidney "problem" was a misunderstanding like an agent would. It cost him a couple million.

 

Great story. What was curious to me was the number of guys who paid who ended up signing with someone else.

 

In retrospect, J.J. Stokes is probably wishing he had the cash.

 

Interesting to learn that a 19 year old, living with his parents, with no post-secondary education and no knowledge of contracts, can be certified by the NFL as an agent. Is it still that lax?

 

Everyone loves this guy's story. Everyone hated Tim Donaghy's and Jose Canseco's stories.

 

Not that SI doesn't love to cause the WWL grief. Nah.