Today is THE most bittersweet day of the year for me, personally, because, on one hand, I get to celebrate the realization of a dream with so many people, but also have to console the disappointment of so many others. I try to get in the trenches with everyone who uses our exam prep services, and that’s the truest of good news/bad news propositions.

A few thoughts as so many people deal with life-changing emails that arrived in their inboxes this morning.

  • For many of those who didn’t get good news today, the testing centers played a big role. I heard lots of stories of people who showed up, only to find that their test was cancelled, or that it would be held later than scheduled. Other test-takers got plenty of intrusion during testing, or had some weird demands made on them. If that was you, find a new testing center next year. Even if you have to drive a little more. 
  • One other note for those who didn’t make the cut: it might be a failure of your note organization more than your grasp of the CBA. One contract advisor who helps with exam tutoring insists that you could theoretically skip studying the CBA altogether if you had extremely organized notes and you were exceptionally good at identifying what the exam asks in each question. 
  • If you passed, or if you didn’t, take this weekend to relax. If you passed, you deserve to celebrate. If you didn’t, rest up and get ready to join us in February when we resume our Zoom sessions. Nothing that happens this weekend will affect you next July.
  • If you passed, consider joining us at Inside the League. Next month (or maybe even later this month), we’ll begin our Zoom sessions for new agents. We’ll have instruction on who and how to recruit, how all-star games work, how to set a training budget, what to expect from players’ parents, and so many other relevant topics. We’ll have agents who were in your shoes next year telling their stories, as well as former scouts discussing player evaluation and other topics. We’ll also have Zooms to help you find sleepers in the draft. I hope we can work with you.
  • You probably have some favorite NFL draft accounts on social media, but begin looking for accounts that focus on small-schoolers. Unless you already work for a major agency, you won’t be signing any potential first-rounders this year.  I also highly recommend following actual former NFL scouts. They not only know their stuff, but they will often give you tips and engage with you if you ask intelligent questions. Here are a few Twitter accounts I recommend: Blake Beddingfield (@BlakeBedd), Rodrik David (@RightStepAdv), Greg Gabriel (@ggabefootball), Randy Mueller (@RandyMueller_) and Mark Gorscak (@gors55). Emory Hunt (@FBallGameplan) and Damond Talbot (@DraftDiamonds) are not former NFL scouts, but they are key follows.

Before I go, let me share some of the joyous texts I got from several successful test-takers, all of them unsolicited. 

  • “Passed! Thanks so much for all your help Neil. I’ll be sticking with ITL moving forward – Couldn’t have succeeded without your team.”
  • “I’m overwhelmed with happy emotion brother!!! 🙌🏾 And you were part of that journey!!! And I truly appreciate you!!!”
  • “I passed the exam Neil! Appreciate all the help along the way man! Let’s keep in touch man, I’ve already referred someone who’s taking the test next year to go to Inside the League.”
  • “Just found out I I passed the NFLPA agent exam. Now I’m a player agent for both NBA & NFL Players! THANK YOU & ITL FOR EVERYTHING! Now that the easy part is complete, the journey has begun!”
  • “Thank you for sticking in my corner of the past few years!!! I literally couldn’t have done it without you!!!”
  • “You are the freaking Man!!!!  Could not have done this with out you!!!!  You and (ITL instructor) Ian (Greengross) deserve a congratulation too!!!!  Thank you so much!!!!!!!” 
  • “LFG!!!!!!!!!! Can’t thank you and Ian enough. So (freaking) happy right now.”
  • “Thx! ITL has been a tremendous resource already. You are truly tapped in…just like the name Says “ITL”. Let’s go!”

See you at the Friday Wrap later today. Aren’t registered? Sign up here.