2022 NFLPA Class: A Chance to Learn

19 Wednesday Oct 2022

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In October, the new agent class finally gets to go to work. Trying to figure out what that looks like is the hard part. The biggest question I get this time of year is, where do I start?

We’re going to answer that question in our second Zoom of the year aimed directly at new contract advisors. It’s set for next Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. ET. Here’s what we’ll cover.

  • New agents are going to get carpet-bombed by players from previous draft classes. Some of them are legit, having gone to recent NFL camps. We’ll discuss the question of whether to sign them.
  • If you’re a newly certified contract advisor, you’ve probably dreamed of signing a first-rounder right out of the box, beating the odds and signing that kid that comes out of nowhere. We’ll talk about why it’s smart to temper your expectations, and what kinds of players are most often signed by new agents.
  • As a new agent, you probably already have your favorite mock draft experts and sources all over the web. However, as a rookie, we’ll talk about why you probably need to look at other sources, and we’ll discuss where you can find them. 
  • You probably have a lot of questions about the XFL and the USFL, and it’s good that you’re asking them. Still, do those leagues require registration/certification? Also, what does the draft look like, and more importantly, how are players evaluated and signed? We’ll cover talent acquisition in both leagues, who you need to talk to, and how to talk to them (I should mention that the XFL’s Doug Whaley will be joining us on Zoom next month to answer many of those questions).
  • The topic of NIL may be overwhelming you. You might say to yourself, ‘I’m just trying to figure out how to be an NFL agent and now I have to figure out NIL as well?’ We’ll simplify things with our recommendations on a basic strategy for Year 1.

We kicked off our series the first week of October with Octagon Football’s Murphy McGuire. You can check out his “origin story” here, and if you’re a new agent, you should. You’ll find it inspiring, I think. His rookie year he was the only first-year independent agent to have a player drafted (Texas Tech’s Jakeem Grant, who went 6/186 in 2016), and in less than five years, he was hired by one of the more established firms in the industry. 

Want in? We look forward to you joining us next week. It’s free, but there’s one caveat: you must be an Inside the League client. It’s just $29.95/mo, and you can cancel at any time. Once you become a member, you can join us for our monthly Zoom sessions that will cover other key agent-related topics like all-star games, how to choose a trainer, how to recruit, how to build a network of scouts, what you can gain from going to the combine and many more topics. Sign up here.

I hope to see you next week. For more details, sign up for our Friday Wrap, which is also free. Do that here. 

 

NIL Zoom Class: Highlights from Session III

12 Wednesday Oct 2022

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Last night was Session III of our NIL Zoom class with marketing and endorsement expert Sammy Spina of Vantage Management Group. We brought you several highlights from Sammy’s first session last week, but there’s far more where that came from. 

Last night, Sammy went into depth on contracts and agreements, both between the agent and his client and the client and a potential business seeking to engage him. Here are a few valuable points he made.

  • When it comes to setting up an agreement with your first NIL client, don’t overcomplicate it. I see a lot of fear from agents on this, but it’s probably not necessary as long as you’re careful.
  • It’s not a bad idea to send your agreement to the compliance department at the player’s school. It may save you trouble down the line.
  • Consider not signing players to exclusive deals. It helps the client understand that your relationship is not built on a contract, but on how productive you can be for him.
  • Make sure it’s clear with your client (and anyone else who reads the contract) this is an NIL agreement only, not an NFL representation agreement. Seems pretty elementary, but it might help to reaffirm the boundaries of the deal.
  • Some agencies charge 30 percent on their deals, but it’s a good idea to stay between 10-20 percent commission. Fifteen percent is common.
  • Most local companies in college markets don’t do a lot of endorsements and marketing, so make sure you have an agreement ready to help walk them through the process. This stuff is new; make sure you’re willing to be the guide.
  • Make sure you’re putting limitations on how long an establishment can use a player’s name, image and likeness. Remember, your client’s NIL has value. Don’t give it away indefinitely.
  • Make sure the company understands in advance if the school doesn’t allow the player to use the school logo/marks. You don’t want a disappointed franchise owner once the appearance takes place or the post comes out.
  • Remember: Collectives may seem closely associated with a school, but they have no official relationship with a school. It’s an important distinction.
  • The vast majority of athletes are entering into deals for $5,000 or less, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself or your client. Also, don’t believe everything you hear or see on the Internet.

There’s still one more night (tonight — the session kicks off at 8 p.m. ET), so if you’re interested in NIL, please join us. You can sign up here. Don’t forget, you get the videos from all four sessions as part of the price ($100 plus tax). I hope you can join us.

NIL Zoom Class: A Few Highlights from Session I

05 Wednesday Oct 2022

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Last night, we kicked off our deep dive into the more detailed aspects of building a name, image and likeness practice. To do that, we brought on Vantage Management Group’s Sammy Spina, who’s built a thriving marketing and endorsements practice in addition to his NFL agent business. From the first minute, Sammy was straight “fire,” as the kids say. We’ve gotten good feedback from those who signed up.

Here are a few highlights (and keep in mind, this all came from the first class, with three to go).

  • If you don’t have contacts, you better have time. This one is pretty self-explanatory. 
  • Recruiting relationships are like real relationships – at some point, there has to be face-to-face contact. Managing the time you spend in your client’s town vs. where you live/office is part of what Sammy discussed Tuesday night. 
  • Look up the players on a school’s roster and research social media followings. If a player already has 10,000 followers, it gives you something to sell to local businesses. This one is also pretty self-explanatory. The trick is, these are often the biggest and best players. Maybe you can find a diamond in the rough, however, if you do a little research.
  • When you attend your client’s appearance, you tend to meet other people who want to make deals. That’s why it’s important to start locally. This is an easy way to prospect, which is the hardest part of any business.
  • Get to Indy. It’s crucial from a networking standpoint. Also pretty self-explanatory. I would previously have recommended the Senior Bowl over the combine, but access in Mobile has been drastically reduced in recent years. Access was always a little restricted at the combine, but the overwhelming number of people connected with the game gives Indy the nod.
  • It’s not about who you know. It’s about who knows you. I thought this was a great way to explain the value of always being on offense when it comes to meeting people and introducing yourself to strangers. 
  • A player’s foundation is a great way to meet business owners and people interested in being around the game. If you’re on the younger side, volunteer. If you’re a little more established, make a donation. But whatever you do, get there, and once you get there, meet as many people as you can. 
  • Be responsive. Be a 24-7 communicator. Fifty calls plus a couple Zooms in one day is not unusual. Fifty! I would add that maybe those 50 calls are 30 texts, 15 DMs and five calls, but you get the picture. You must be responsive.
  • Let being told “no” motivate you. Find a competitor to that company who will say “yes.” Nothing wrong with drawing motivation from such a situation. 
  • At some point, company CEOs have money, fame and success. But they don’t have access. Your client can provide them something they can’t get anywhere else.
  • If you can help it, never schedule an event or appearance the night before a game or the night after a loss. Obviously, this can be tricky, but be sensitive to the game schedule and other external factors. 

Want in? Remember, there are still three sessions of one hour left (and last night’s session went 90 minutes, so you won’t get cheated), and the topics for the remaining classes are making your campaigns memorable, what to look for in agreements and building a sustainable business on NIL alone. We’ll meet tonight at 8 p.m. ET, then again Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, same time. And don’t forget, everyone who registers gets videos for all four sessions. I don’t know anyone else who is doing this with a person of Sammy’s caliber, especially for $100 plus tax. 

Consider joining us. You won’t regret it. 

 

Our First Zoom Guest for New Agents: Octagon’s Murphy McGuire

29 Thursday Sep 2022

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Sometime in the summer of 2013, when my wife was working for our church, she mentioned that she had met a kid who wanted to meet me. He found out what I did and wanted to learn more. She said she thought he was interested in being an agent. I think I rolled my eyes. A lot of people think I have a really cool job until they find out how mundane most of my work is. Murphy stuck around, however, and worked as an intern at ITL for 2-3 years until he graduated from law school.

Most of my interns get the passion for working in football burned out of them, so when Murphy told me he was gonna take the NFL agent exam in the summer of 2015, I was surprised, and a little pissed. Have you not been paying attention, I thought? Do you not understand the futility of working as a small, independent NFL agent? The costs involved? The years of frustration? The potential for wasted money and time? Still, despite my urgings, he took and passed the NFLPA exam on the first try. It’s worth noting that 2015 was the year the NFLPA sharply increased the difficulty of the test, but Murphy still passed on his first try. 

He has surprised me several times since. He was the only independent rookie agent to have a player drafted in his first year (Texas Tech’s Jakeem Grant, who went 6/186 to the Dolphins in 2016 and remains active with the Bears today). He even starred in a reality TV series on the NFL Network that year (Murphy is in the first frame, wearing a ball cap, in this video). He also made the leap to a major agency (Octagon Football) just 2-3 years after getting certified, and today, less than 10 years after getting certified, he’s tied for No. 59 among all active NFL agents with 16 clients in the league. That may not sound like much, but it’s pretty impressive for someone who was told he “looks like some young kid” when he solicited a major agent at a top firm about a job at his first Senior Bowl in 2014, I think. 

Anyway, I say all this because Murphy will be my guest Thursday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. ET, as we host our first monthly Zoom sessions for members of the 2022 NFL agent class. It’s something we started last year, and I found that getting rookie contract advisors on Zoom to ask questions of someone who was once in their shoes is a great way to learn. I’ll make a few brief points, then we’ll get on with the interview. Here are a few things I’ll ask him about:

  • How long did it take him to build a network of scouts willing to talk to him?
  • How did he build that network?
  • How did he choose Jakeem as his first client? What did he tell him so Jakeem would take a chance on a rookie agent? 
  • How did he handle training costs, etc., in his early, independent days?
  • How did he latch on with an established agency so quickly? 
  • How has the industry changed, and what’s the biggest challenge he faces now? 
  • How have the players changed? 
  • What would be his advice for agents getting started today? 

Bottom line, this is your chance to get the keys to the kingdom from a real NFL agent success story, straight from the horse’s mouth.

If you’re interested in joining us, you’re welcome to, even if you’re just curious and not  even a contract advisor. However, there’s one catch: you have to be an ITL client. You can register here. It’s $29.95/mo, and you can cancel at any time.

I hope to see you in a week. In the meantime, get more scoop about the football business by registering for our weekly newsletter, the Friday Wrap. Do that here.

Our Next NIL Learning Opportunity: Questions and the Answers We’ll Be Seeking

23 Friday Sep 2022

Posted by in Agents, NIL

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On Aug. 30, we had two name, image and likeness experts, Peter Schoenthal of Athliance and Sammy Spina of Vantage Management Group, join us on Zoom to give a thorough overview of today’s NIL landscape. Anyone interested in how to make money in the interest got an awful lot of information on how to approach this new area of the industry. However, we’re not done.

Next month, Sammy will join us again for a four-class course on how to break through and turn NIL from a theoretical financial windfall to a legitimate, steady revenue source. Our classes will be Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 4-5, and the following Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 11-12. Cost is $100 plus tax (sign up here). There’s a trick to it, obviously, and it all starts with getting honest questions answered. 

When it comes to those questions, I’m interested in two things: how an agent identifies and recruits a player ideal for NIL marketing, and how an agent finds business opportunities for the client. We touched on that in our Zoom last month, but this is going to be a real close-up look on how to make money.

Here are some of the questions I’m seeking to get answered:

  • How long does it take to build a book of contacts, a network I can rely on?
  • How long will it take to make money while I build that network?
  • What kind of businesses most often seek lasting relationships? 
  • What is the key to a successful media post? How can I measure and repeat that success?
  • How do you turn a successful solicitation into repeat business with multiple clients?
  • How do you assess your client to find out how to best position him for NIL success?
  • What do you tell a client who wants to know how long it will take to make money with NIL?
  • How do you explain to a client that success will require effort on his part, i.e., that NIL isn’t a completely passive revenue stream?
  • When do you “cut bait” with a client? When do you know he’s not a good fit for NIL?
  • What’s the best ratio of success on the field and NIL aptitude? Can you succeed if a client has only one of the two?
  • How much time and effort should a client be expected to give away for free before he can start charging? How does he best spend that time?
  • What happens if you build a book of business in one area, then your client enters the transfer portal?
  • How do you exploit a client’s potential as an anti-hero in a rival market? Is it possible?
  • What does a basic NIL agreement between an agent and client look like? What does an agreement between a client and a business look like?

If you have the same questions, I hope you can join us. Nothing will be out of bounds, and we want this to be a real difference-making session.

We’ll have more details in our Friday Wrap, which comes out later today. Register for the Wrap here.

2022 NFLPA Exam: First Thoughts with Results Now Out

16 Friday Sep 2022

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Last Friday, this summer’s aspiring NFLPA-licensed contract advisors who took the exam got their results. After personally contacting more than a hundred of them over the last week, here are a few thoughts.

  • I know personally of 20 would-be test-takers who will have to wait until next year due solely to technical issues with the proctoring service. I would estimate there are double that number, maybe 35-40, cooling their heels until next summer, including the ones I’ve spoken to. Though the NFLPA hasn’t released the total of those who got derailed by technical issues, it could wind up being as much as 10 percent of those who took the exam. Despite this, I don’t think we ever again see prospective agents descend on Washington, D.C., for an in-person exam. The PA will continue to work through its growing pains rather than make it a physical, pencil-and-paper exam again. In the meantime, my sincerest sympathies go to those 30-40 people who were hoping to recruit prospects this fall.
  • This year, it took 51 days for the NFLPA to provide test results. Since we started tracking these things in 2013, it’s the longest test-takers have had to wait since July 2015, when answers came out Friday, Sept. 18, a 56-day wait. Whether or not it’s just coincidence, that’s also the year the NFLPA made the exam appreciably harder, dropping the usually passing percentage of around 55-60 percent to about 40-45 since then. 

 

  • Was this year’s exam harder than last year’s? Based on my tally, having communicated with about two-thirds of the people we worked with, about 55 percent of our test-takers passed. It’s worth noting that many people who fail don’t respond, so it’s certainly possible our clients were below 50 percent. If that’s true, however, I’d expect the rate of people passing to be below 40 percent this year. When you consider that about half of each class is people taking the exam a second time, it’s obvious this is a difficult exam. I don’t know how NFLPA exam results compare to the tests for the other major sports, but my impression is that the others are far easier to pass, for a lot of reasons. Bottom line — if you’re taking the exam, use an exam prep service, even if it’s not ours. You’ll be happy you did. We had about a half-dozen clients who failed the exam a second time this year, and it’s hard to know what to say to ease their disappointment. 

Best of luck to all of those taking the exam next year, many of whom we’ve already heard from. Naturally, we’ll work with all of those who were with us this year and who will be giving it a go again next year. 

Whether or not you passed or failed, or whether or not player representation interests you, make sure you know what’s going on in the business by reading our Friday Wrap, which comes out later this evening. Register for it here.

In Memoriam: Vikings scout Kevin McCabe

08 Thursday Sep 2022

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I never met Kevin McCabe, but boy, judging from what my friends say about him, I really wish I did.

Ever bump into two different people, who live states apart, who both called a recently deceased person their best friend? I had that experience Wednesday, when I (and most of the NFL scouting community) found out about the passing of McCabe, who had fought a long, tough battle with leukemia.

Here are a few things to know about McCabe, who surveyed West Coast schools for prospects for the Rams and Vikings since the late 90s.

He was loved by members of the scouting community: We are blessed to have lots of current and former NFL scouts who follow us on Twitter, and we’ve tweeted about scouts’ deaths before, but I’ve never seen the buzz McCabe’s passing created. Getting 285 likes and 61 RTs (as of 11 a.m. CT) is just not something that happens for this kind of tweet. Twenty-seven comments is crazy, too. That tweet might have generated the most attention of any tweet I’ve ever sent. I got the same vibe from scouts I reached out to. “Great guy! Always willing to help you out if you need anything. He has a calm approach to his scouting style,” said one NFC scout. An AFC evaluator told me McCabe was “my best friend and mentor. I’m a much better husband, dad and scout because of all the time I got to spend with Kevin. . . (he) was a living example of how we should treat each other.” 

He was loved by agents, too: Until an agent really makes it, contract advisors are half nuisance, half necessary evil to most NFL evaluators, but McCabe got plenty of posthumous praise yesterday. James Krenis of Accel Sports said, “Kevin was kind to me when I started in this business, and that isn’t common.” That comment was representative of what I heard from other agents, as well.

He was one of the select few scouts who take position groups around at the combine: This is a really cool story about McCabe’s work leading the running backs in Indianapolis each year. The story indicates that he volunteered for the job, but it wound up being a pretty valuable tool for gaining more insights. The team actually drafted two rushers, Florida State’s Dalvin Cook and Boise State’s Alex Mattison, after first sourcing McCabe’s take on them post-Indy.

Our prayers go out to his friends and family across the game. To read more about the industry that McCabe was such a big part of, check out our weekly newsletter, which comes out Fridays at 7:30 p.m. ET. You can register for it here.

Highlights from This Week’s NIL Zoom

02 Friday Sep 2022

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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.

2022 NFL Agent Exam: Technical Issues and a Bitter Pill For Some

26 Friday Aug 2022

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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.

______________________________________________________________

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.

______________________________________________________________

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.

NFLPA Exam 2022: Wait Till Next Year for Some

15 Monday Aug 2022

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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.