In the football space, player representation used to mean getting players signed to NFL deals. It’s much more than that now that we live in the name, image and likeness (NIL) era. 

We take our job of helping people in player representation do their jobs better seriously, so I asked two friends and subject matter experts, Sammy Spina of Breaking  Into Sports (and Vantage Management Group) and Peter Schoenthal of Athliance, to join agents and prospective agents in a Zoom session, which they did on Tuesday. It was incredible. Sammy and Peter didn’t disappoint, and their vast knowledge of the NIL arena was matched by their organizational skills. We got to see videos, hear stories and gather tips on how to build a book of business. For almost two hours, Sammy and Peter presented information and answered questions.

Here are just a few tips I gathered Tuesday night.

• The best way to cold introduce yourself is to bring him a deal.
• Face to face is the best contact. Call or email when necessary, but getting in front of someone is always best.
• It is in the best interest of the school for your client to take advantage of opportunities.
• Be specific in your ask. Smaller businesses will be intimidated otherwise. Take away as many variables as possible once you know a little about the business or potential sponsor.
• Every athlete, no matter the school, has the opportunity to make $1000/mo. It’s a matter of knocking on doors and using your imagination.
• Don’t be afraid to say no. Naturally, you are looking for deals, and desperate to gain traction. Still, not every deal is a good deal.
• Even if your client has a limited following on social media, there are ways to make money anyway. Camps are one way.
• Collectives with contact info lists for interested vendors are out there.
• When it comes to what a player puts on social media, don’t post it if your mom wouldn’t like it.
• NIL is not about the four years he’s in college. It’s about the next 40 years. Really.
  

If you couldn’t join us, but still feel like the information presented would be valuable, let us know. The video is available for purchase, and trust me, you’ll want to watch it once or twice and probably play back certain segments several times. If you’re an ITL client, it’s $50 plus tax. If you’re not, it’s $80 plus tax. 

We’ll discuss the week in greater detail in tomorrow’s Friday Wrap, which comes out at 7:30 p.m. Register for it here.

Next week represents almost a month-and-a-half since the 2022 NFL Agent Exam, which means results are right around the corner for the 200-plus test-takers this year. For those people seeking to rep NFL players, that’s the good news.

The bad news is that the number of new contract advisors certified this fall will be thinned by technical difficulties that precluded numerous applicants from even taking the exam, which was offered exclusively online for the second straight year. Those unlucky would-be test-takers have two options: ask for a refund of the $2,500 testing fee by the end of September or give it another go next summer. Easy come, easy go, right?

Not exactly. Zachary Karber, a Tampa, Fla.-based attorney, is a prime example of the real-life cost of this delay. Rather than trying to describe his plight, I asked him to put it in his own words what a bitter pill it was to swallow this unexpected 12-month waiting period.

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So why is it a “bitter pill” you may ask? Well, to use myself as an example:

• I have my JD/MBA degrees and nearly 10 years of experience in both the boardroom and courtroom providing legal and business services to banks, politicians, hospitals, developers, and numerous other professionals.
• I spent several hours every day memorizing the source materials during the 2-3 months leading up to the exam, and even temporarily closed my practice the three weeks prior to testing day.
• I took multiple practice exams, attended group seminar courses, retained a certified agent as my private tutor, and created flash cards. I directly expensed roughly $10,000 and indirectly waved goodbye to over $30,000 in lost income preparing for the exam.
• As a result of these sacrifices of time, energy, and money, I aced all the practice exams and was extremely confident that I’d pass the actual exam.

Unfortunately, at no fault of my own and for reasons completely outside of my control, I was never able to sit for the exam and never even answered a single question.  Three weeks after the exam fiasco, the NFLPA ultimately informed me that my only options were either a refund of my application fee (declined) or that I could sit for the exam again the following year (accepted).

The hardest part about all of this is not the money I lost; $40,000 does not even equate to the weekly salary of your average NFL player.  Instead, it’s the bitter taste I now get in my mouth every time I see or think about pro football. I know it will only go away once I actually take and pass the exam.

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If you took the exam in July, and you’ve been waiting to find out how you did, there may be good news around the corner. We discuss in the Friday Wrap, our newsletter read by thousands of people in the industry that comes out later today. Register for it here.

This morning, the NFLPA sent out an email to its 2022 test-takers lamenting the technical issues so many faced. For many — I don’t have a number, but I would estimate anywhere from 15-30 — their issues precluded them from even taking the exam. To those people, said the NFLPA, you have two options: get a full refund for the exam (and this must take place by Oct. 1) or wait until 2023 to take the exam again.

First, a few comments from those affected: 

• “I personally would have rather taken the test this year and failed trying, then not being able to take the test at all. The proctor company clearly stated it was their fault and that their server was out. I asked for a later time in the day and they wouldn’t accommodate. I think it’s on the NFLPA to chose either a better proctoring service and or have parameters in place if this were to happen again. Possibly having slots available the day after the main test for those that faced technical problems.”
• “I’m obviously very disappointed after spending quite some time studying and preparing myself for the exam to not be able to take it due to technical difficulties, but I understand it’s not the NFLPA’s fault or anyones fault for that matter. . . I’m looking forward to taking it next year!”
• “This happened last year with a few people. Maybe they need to choose another testing center or go back to in-person testing. This is very frustrating and unfair.”

• “Like in football we can only focus on the next play! At least I have a foundation for the exam next year.” 

• “Since it came nearly a month after the exam fiasco, all my built-up anger, frustration, etc. has all subsided, so I’m a lot more humble about it.  It’ll still sting a bit for the next year, but I fully accept the NFLPA’s decision. . . The silver linings: I got 11 more months to prepare for the exam & perfect my business plan, met some excellent industry folks along the way . . .  and I got more drive in me than I ever did before.  By this time next year, I plan on having a master Jedi Knight level on knowledge of all the rules & regulations.”

Here are my thoughts:

• I expected that this would be the NFLPA’s response, for a couple reasons. No. 1, writing a new exam would be a lot of work, and more than the NFLPA would like to do, I’m sure. No. 2, this wouldn’t work anyway, because the exam is scaled, and how do you scale the results of two different exams? No. 3, even if they could scale the two, this would presumably push participants to receive their results sometime in October, presuming they took Exam 2 by the end of the month and results took their normal 4-6 weeks. That’s just too late to wait to recruit.
• My guess is they knew their course of action weeks ago, but wanted to give participants plenty of time to cool off. There were plenty of test-takers the week of the exam who were figuratively ready to storm the NFLPA’s offices. You can see in the above quotes that tempers are no longer flaring.
• What’s the big deal, you might ask? So they didn’t get to take the exam this year. They have another year to study. There are two problems with that approach. No. 1, most of the people we worked with on preparations were ready for the exam. It’s hard to get as “up” for game day the second time as it was the first time, though I’m sure all our clients will. The bigger issue is that many of these prospective agents had a member of the ’23 draft class (friend, family member, etc.) they were planning on representing. Now that will be impossible, through no fault of their own.
• Naturally, we will walk with those people who didn’t get a chance to be tested this year, hoping to make this year count anyway. For those who are members, we will include them in our Zooms and instruction for their respective rookie years so they can hit the ground running next year. There’s also name, image and likeness work that requires no certification. We’ve got a very special event on the calendar that will allow them to sharpen their skills and maybe even make some money between now and next summer.

If you read this blog semi-regularly, you know that, from time to time, I like to turn this space over to some of my friends in scouting and evaluation. This week, with the 2023 college football season just around the corner, I decided to reach out to several of my friends to give me their first impression of the strengths and weaknesses of the ’23 class. What follows are the thoughts of Greg Gabriel, who spent several years in the front offices of the Giants and Bears at the director level.

Trying to figure out if a draft will be strong eight months beforehand is not an easy task. Why?

Who’s there?: First, we really don’t know who will be in the draft. If the last 5-6 years is an indicator, we know that there will be well over 100 underclassmen in the draft. It’s the underclassmen who make up a good part of the early rounds of every draft.

Intangibles: Of course, what happens off the field and in the huddle counts, too. NFL scouts are already on the road making school calls where they begin to form a strong opinion on prospects, partially due to their character. When I say character, I really mean two things: football character and personal character. Football character deals with a player’s passion for the game, desire to be great, work ethic, etc. Needless to say, personal character deals with how a person lives his life. They are two very separate categories, and a scout puts a grade on each. Those grades have a lot of say in where a player gets selected.

Going up/going down: Another area that is extremely important is the players’ 2022 tape. Who will show improvement this season over last? Whose play will fall off, and last, who will sustain an injury that will have an effect on their draft status? Preseason ratings are based on what the player did the previous year. Often, players take a huge step in their final year and end up getting drafted much higher than anticipated in August. In August 2019, did anyone actually think that LSU’s Joe Burrow would dominate the 2019 season and be the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft? I doubt it. In August of 2020, did anyone feel that BYU’s Zach Wilson would be the second overall selection in 2021? I can guarantee there were none. Most had him rated as a high Day 3 pick at best going into the 2020 season.

Entering 2021, many felt Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater was going to be a premium pick, but the thought process was he might be better off at guard than tackle. Many also felt that, at best, he was a late first and more likely a second-round type. After a strong 2020 season, he ended up the second offensive lineman selected and the 13^th overall pick.

The inverse of this also applies, and I’m going back a few years for this example, but it happens every year. During the 2013 college season, Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater was supposed to be a lock to be the top pick in the 2014 draft. The draft analysts kept this conversation going well into November even though his play didn’t warrant it. After following up a mediocre season with a poor pro day, not only was he not the first overall pick, but he went 32^ndoverall!

Needless to say, what you read now as far as ratings can be meaningless. Yes, they can give you an idea of what the player might be, but until NFL evaluators can go through the entire scouting process, we won’t know for sure. That takes time.

No reason to stop now! I asked three more former NFL evaluators to give me their first impression of the strengths and weaknesses of the ’23 class, and I added their thoughts to this week’s Friday Wrap, which comes out tomorrow afternoon. You can sign up for it here.

If you took the NFL Agent Exam last month, you’re probably pretty antsy these days as you wait for your results to come in (they’re probably still about a month away). Actually, that’s not a terrible thing, though, because you have work to do before you get started. Here’s our advice on what to do and not to do over the next four weeks.

WHAT TO DO:

Develop a recruiting strategy: Most people who get certified either have a friend or family member they plan on representing, or at least have a school that will be their focus. Maybe Plan A will work, but it’s important to have a Plan B. If you roll with us at Inside the League, we will work extensively with you on what kind of player, position, school, etc., makes the most sense.

Set a budget: Because player representation is such a profession of passion, it’s easy to get carried away when the costs start adding up. Remember, it’s still a business. If you’re recruiting a player who has a chance to get drafted late or signed as a priority free agent, your budget should be about $10,000 per player. How does that money spend? Training, of course, but there are other factors, as well. We cover those things with you if you’re an ITL client.

Develop an NIL strategy: The NIL landscape is still pretty wild, but you are definitely going to answer questions on your plan, so you better have one. Here’s a great primer if you don’t know where to start. I’d recommend watching this, as well.

WHAT NOT TO DO: 

Network with scouts: Every year, I see new agents (and sometimes, agents whose certification is still pending) reaching out to NFL scouts on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc., trying to make friends with them. I get it. It’s a relationship-based industry all the way, and that one point of contact may be what makes the difference for a client as the draft gets closer. However, what you have to understand is, scouts’ relationships with agents is based on one thing only: the quality of their clients. When you prove that you recruit legitimate prospects, scout will want to get to know you. You won’t have to reach out to them, because they’ll be reaching out to you.

Recruit big agencies to hire you: This one I understand, as well. Clearly, if you’re part of a big agency, you have a tremendous advantage over other contract advisors. Still, like scouts, bigger agents want you to prove yourself before they consider hiring you. I know you probably work very hard, and I know you’ve done a lot of homework and prepared yourself for this day for years. Well, that doesn’t do enough to separate you from the field. Just last month, I recommended a new agent to a big, established firm. The first question from my friend at the big firm was, who does he represent? If I would have said no one he would have felt insulted I even brought the young man’s name up. To be honest, I wouldn’t have recommended him, anyway.

One more recommendation: sign up for our newsletter. It comes out every Friday, and it’s widely read within the industry. Register for it here.

Doug Whaley has collaborated with me on several Inside the League projects over the years. The former Bills GM was among the panelists at our networking event at the 2019 NFL Combine, then joined us later that day for our annual seminar on behalf of the XFL, which would launch the following spring. That evening, he met with hundreds of NFL agents to introduce the new league and how it would operate.

Since then, Doug has joined me for a podcast on the 2017 NFL Draft and several Zoom interviews with active NFL scouts, executives, and current and prospective NFL agents. I can’t recall him ever saying “no,” so when he asked if Inside the League would host a Zoom session on Monday, July 25, at 8 p.m. ET, he already knew the answer would be “yes.”

Monday night, I’ll host as Doug, along with XFL executives Marc Ross and Russ Giglio, discusses the “business side” of the league, which returns this spring. If you’re a prospective XFL player or the agent of one, you’re going to want to check it out, and I hope you do.

Here’s what Doug, Marc and Russ will cover:

• Player salaries — will there be win bonuses?
• Do players at all positions get paid the same or do some positions rate higher pay?
• How much room for negotiation is there on salaries?
• How will injuries be handled? How will a player be replaced?
• What about worker’s comp?
• Will there be practice squads? How will they be paid?
• What if a player gets an NFL offer? Will he be released? What if the CFL calls?

I’m sure, if there’s time, Doug will also field questions about where the league stands on the population of the player pool. These days, we get daily questions on how a player who didn’t attend any of the showcases or who has NFL experience can still be considered by the league.

It will be the second XFL Zoom in which ITL has played a part. In April, Doug was joined by several other XFL officials — including league co-owner Dwayne Johnson himself — as we held an initial meet-up with agents, marketers, scouts, coaches, and others interested in the returning league.

Unlike last time, there will be no restrictions on who we allow to join us. But there’s one catch: the Zoom link will be in the Friday Wrap, which comes out at 7:30 p.m. So if you’re interested in the finer details of the new league, make sure you are currently registered for our weekly email. If you aren’t already, you can do that here. Just make sure you do it by this evening.

I hope to see you Monday night. Remember: 8 p.m. ET, and we’ll go about an hour, with Doug and the XFL team leading things off, followed by questions. If you’re part of the pro football business community, I hope you’ll join us.