Sports Agent News

The Signing of Tommie Harris gives Veteran football agent Eugene Parker the most first-round NFL draft picks.  After three first-rounders fired their agents in the three weeks following draft day. Parker signed Tommie Harris, who was selected No. 14 overall by the Chicago Bears, giving Parker four first-round picks. Before that signing, Parker was in a five-way tie for having the most first-round picks with IMG, SFX, Joel Segal and brothers Carl and Kevin Poston.

Agent Andy Joel had his first-ever first-round NFL draft pick when the Detroit Lions selected Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones as the 30th overall pick in last month's draft. Joel is probably best known in the agent world as the independent agent who first signed and then was fired by Michael Vick before the 2001 draft. Joel sued Octagon, which signed Vick and represented him as the No. 1 pick, alleging the company interfered with his relationship with Vick. That suit is continuing.

                                                                                          SMWW Launches New Course For Those Wanting a Job in Sports:

In keeping with our mission of assisting people who aspire to work in the sports industry, SMWW recently launched a new on-line course which teaches individuals the skills professional teams and collegiate organizations look for when hiring new employees. At the conclusion of the course, students are encouraged to enter the SMWW Placement program which puts you in the front office of a team in your area in an internship, field experience program or entry-level position.

The course, titled Sports Revenue Management, was developed to fill a void widely seen in the industry.  Hiring managers for most teams receive hundreds of resumes a month from people seeking internships or entry-level positions. Very few have the skills that are necessary to succeed in the industry.  Students who take the SRM course will be catapulted to the top of the hiring lines because they will have the skills necessary to succeed.

"Nearly every team has the same problem. Hundreds of resumes and eager candidates are everywhere, few or none with the qualifications or skills teams need. Teams need people that are successful at creating revenue and marketing in the 21st century.  This course will teach people those skills" said Tom Leip, Assistant Athletic Director for Portland State University and head instructor for the SRM course.

This email was created with the software students would be trained to use as a part of the Sports Revenue Management Course.

For more information on the Sports Revenue Management Course...select this text.

The NBA Jump Off

  The Jump Continues as 93 underclassmen have declared for the 2004 NBA draft, including a record number of high school players.  The numbers show that high school players who make the jump have had a high success rate in getting drafted.  In fact, 83 percent of high school players who declared, have been drafted and 66 percent have been taken in the first round.  That compared to the 55 percent of college underclassmen who have been drafted. 

"If you look at the number of high school players who have become great NBA players, there's not many. There's a Lebron James every so often, but so many of these kids are missing a great experience playing college basketball and getting an education. An athlete's career can end at any time and a lot of these kids are going to have a tough transition after their playing days. Sports Management Worldwide believes agents could do a better job of discouraging this jump," said Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, President & Founder of Sports Management Worldwide. "If the athlete is projected to be a lottery selection, that's one thing, but with the international influx, many of these kids will be taken in the second round and will end up overseas."

THE SPORTS JOB MARKET BY SMWW PROFESSOR TOM LEIP:

The job market in the sports industry is always dynamic, but new pressures are being exerted now because of federal, state and local legislation, using the telephone to solicit sales or information becomes more difficult every day and not all organizations keep up with the changes. The same is true in the world of on-line marketing, particularly relating to e-mail.  Laws regulating unsolicited e-mails are the rage. This might be the area where most organizations lack expertise.  Because the challenge is the greatest in this area, opportunity is there for those who keep up with what is happening around the country or have experience successfully addressing all issues.
 
The on-going labor controversy in the National Hockey League is, potentially, the issue impacting the industry most.   In the worst case scenario, which many veterans recall from labor issues in Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association, NHL teams will begin shedding employees by the dozens when the realization a prolonged period of zero revenue is staring them in the eye. Some the best and brightest in the NHL have already found new employment in pre-emptive decisions to move to other organizations. If the negotiations go poorly, many seasoned professionals will be competing for jobs formerly occupied by those just past the entry-level stage.  Of course, this is merely the precursor for a new hiring wave that occurs when the NHL goes back into production.
 
But in the case of the MLB and NBA, many organizations used this as opportunity to revamp and refit.   The resulting organization was much more sophisticated and many middle-management positions were noticeably absent.  While efforts were made to rewrite job descriptions to avoid stating the obvious, the result was that teams were paying less for the same work and experience levels than they had pre-strike.
 
The result was that younger, better-trained individuals had a leg-up on people with years in the industry who were unfamiliar with new techniques

FOOTBALL NEWS

Dr. Lynn Lashbrook had two players sign as free-agents after this year's NFL draft, Jeff Ruffin from the University of Illinois went to St. Louis and Chad Lucas of Alabama State signed with the Titians.  He will have Earl Cochran returning to the Packers, after suffering a shoulder injury last season. Currently, Dr. Lashbrook's client Darrel Wright is playing in NFL Europe, after going to camp with the Cowboys last season and suffering a broken hand.

10 undrafted college free agents this year who received signing bonuses of more than $15,000:

Player -- Team -- Bonus
OT Brad Lekkerkerker -- Texans -- $25,000
CB Roc Alexander -- Broncos -- $20,000
FS Louis Ayeni -- Colts -- $20,000
RB Ran Carthon -- Colts -- $20,000
OT Tyson Clabo -- Broncos -- $20,000
FS Kentrell Curry -- Browns -- $20,000
LB Ryan Fuller -- Cowboys -- $20,000
OG Shannon Snell -- Broncos -- $20,000
DT Jon Bradley -- Eagles -- $17,500
FB Lousaka Polite -- Cowboys -- $17,500

CLARETT NOT LIKELY FOR CFL: Maurice Clarett could play in the Canadian Football League but is not likely to do so, said his agent, Jimmy Sexton."We have had some brief conversations with the CFL," Sexton said. "It's an option, but I don't think it's one we'll take."  Clarett, who lost an appeal to the Supreme Court of a lower-court ruling keeping him out of the NFL draft because he does not meet the NFL's requirement to be three years out of high school, "will play out his legal process," Sexton said. Sexton also represents quarterback Philip Rivers.

Disgruntled Packers CB Mike McKenzie has hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent, hoping he can get the Packers to trade him someplace where he can earn more money. McKenzie is locked into a contract for three more seasons and little flexibility with the Packers. 

Eli Manning

Eli Manning was the No. 1 pick in this year's NFL draft, but his trade to the New York Giants means that he's considered to be the No. 4 pick under league rules that allot money from a rookie salary pool.

The San Diego Chargers, on the other hand, will have the rookie pool allocation for the No. 1 pick for quarterback Philip Rivers, even though Rivers was actually picked in the No. 4 spot by the Giants, then traded to the Chargers. "The money does not go with the player," said NFL spokesman Greg Aeillo.

The situation is unusual, said Richard Berthelsen, NFL Players Association general counsel, who added that he cannot recall a time in recent history in which NFL clubs traded such high first-round draft picks after they had selected the players.

Even so, the guidelines for it are defined in the NFL CBA, Berthelsen said. Had the Chargers traded their No. 1 pick to the Giants for the No. 4 pick before any players were named, the Giants would have gotten the rookie allotment for the No. 1 pick, he said. But since the picks were made before the trade, the rookie allotments stay with the teams, he said. Don't cry for Manning just yet, though. His agent, Tom Condon, expects to get a deal worthy of the No. 1 pick in the draft.

"There is some flexibility in the salary cap rules that should allow us to negotiate a representative contract that is appropriate for Eli," he said. Berthelsen sees the situation as being advantageous for both quarterbacks.Manning is in the kind of position to get basically what he is entitled to," Berthelsen said. "I think Condon will find a way to get him a market contract, and we will certainly assist in that effort. There are ways that you can put money into a contract that is not necessarily counted at 100 percent [against the rookie allotment]." And Rivers will benefit, Berthelsen added, because "the team can't say to him, 'Our allocation isn't high enough.'"

COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS

The University of Minnesota became the first NCAA Division I basketball school to offer a tender to 6-foot-6 ninth grader Tyrone Shelley, who last season averaged 28.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks a game for Christian High School in El Cajon, Calif. Shelley, who wears a size 18½ shoe, scored 51 points in a game last season. Kentucky, Arizona and Kansas also are interested.

Indiana commitment Robert Rothbart, 7-foot-1 center from Sacramento, suprised many last week when he put his name in for the NBA draft.  Rothbart says he has no intention of hiring an agent in-order to remain eligibile to play college basketball.

Among those who might be considered as the new Stanford coach are Gonzaga's Mark Few, Nevada's Trent Johnson and Oregon's Ernie Kent. The latter two were assistants under Montgomery at Stanford. Kent has said that he is not interested as Oregon is coming off it's best recruiting class in 30 years.

MLB RUMORS & NEWS

President & Founder of Sports Management Worldwide, Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, continues his push for MLB in Portland Oregon after starting the campaign seven years ago. Portland is still in the running for the Montreal Expos, but Dr. Lashbrook believes Portland will get the Oakland A's because of their trouble getting stadium funding.  "Selig will not give the A's permission to move to San Jose and the A's need to remain on the west coast because of division alignment and west coast TV revenue," said Dr. Lashbrook.  Portland is close to completing it's 350 million dollar stadium funding package, which makes the city much more appealing for a potential ownership group.  

Expos second baseman Jose Vidro told reporters he signed a four-year, $30 million deal with the belief that the club would be relocated to Washington, D.C., for the 2005 season. "My agent and I asked the team to give us a good reason to stay and they said there's a good chance to play in Washington next year," said Vidro. "That's why (major-league owners) allowed (general manager) Omar Minaya and the team to discuss contracts with the main guys on the team."

No decision has been made on whether Raul Mondesi will file a grievance with the players' union, as is his right, but the agency representing him said Mondesi had no ill-feeling toward the Pirates and that he intends to play again somewhere once his legal issues are settled in the Dominican Republic. The Giants, Mariners and Athletics could use Raul Mondesi's big bat.

Aaron Boone, still recoving from knee surgery, could wind up as a replacement for the injured Tony Glaus in Anaheim. Angels could sign Boone for late-season help this year and for 2005, buying time for prospect Dalls McPherson to develop.

The Royals are looking to move Carlos Beltrane, who will be a free-agent at the end of the season. Possible deals include sending Beltran to Boston in a three-way-deal that would send Johnny Damon to Seattle and pitcher Freddy Garcia to the Royals.
 

More Sports News

Sources say that Kobe Bryant has been saying privately that he wants to remain with the Lakers. Shaquille O'Neal, whose relationship with Bryant has been turbulent over the years, proclaimed the high-flying guard to be "the best player ever" following Game 4.

Larry Fitzgerald Jr: On the basis of what wide receiver Andre Johnson received from the Houston Texans last year after being selected third in the first round, the Minneapolis native who was drafted third overall by Arizona could get a signing bonus of $13.5 million and a six-year contract for $19 million, including the bonus. Fitzgerald could earn up to $46 million during the length of the contract if he reaches all of the incentives.

Bret Adams, who represents about 30 sports clients, including former NBA coach George Karl and ESPN broadcaster Chris Spielman, says the rule violates his constitutional right to commercial free speech.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus, asks the federal court to prohibit the Supreme Court of Ohio - which has the exclusive authority to discipline and regulate attorneys in the state - from disciplining Adams if he runs testimonial advertising.

Adams noted that agents who are not lawyers are not prohibited from running such advertisements."The whole case is about freedom of speech," he said. "We don't have freedom of speech as lawyers and we are at a competitive disadvantage with agents who are not lawyers."Adams said he may be helped by a court case that a group of the nation's top professional racehorse jockeys recently won in Louisville, Ky.

In that case, a U.S. district judge overturned a Kentucky Horse Racing Authority rule prohibiting the jockeys from wearing advertising on their breeches. The jockeys, like Adams, argued that their right to commercial free speech was being illegally restricted.No court date has been set for Adams' case.

Lawsuit targets NCAA: A former Washington walk-on is suing the NCAA, claiming the organization violates federal antitrust laws by limiting the number of football scholarships that can be awarded.

Andy Carroll, who played receiver and special teams before graduating in 2000, filed a proposed class-action lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court.

"Schools limit the number of scholarships, but they function on the unseen player, the walk-on player," Carroll said Thursday. "They wouldn't survive without them. I feel they should be compensated."

The lawsuit seeks to end scholarship restrictions, and it seeks unspecified damages on behalf of all non-scholarship players on NCAA Division I-A football rosters over the past four years.

NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said the lawsuit has no merit because "numerous courts" have determined that competing in intercollegiate athletics is a privilege and not a right.

"The NCAA has also successfully defended the right of its member institutions to establish rules governing the administration of intercollegiate athletics, including the right to set the limit and value of grants-in-aid," Christianson said. "This case flies in the face of previous court decisions."

Carroll's lawyer, Steve Berman, said thousands of former players could be included if the case is certified as a class action.

Berman said it's unfair for schools to restrict football scholarships when many Division I-A coaches earn seven-figure salaries and the NCAA and its members reap millions of dollars from TV contracts and other revenues.

"The NCAA's artificial limit on the number of football scholarships is classic cartel behavior," the lawsuit says. "The NCAA and its member institutions control big-time college football. The NCAA uses that control to maximize revenues and minimize costs."