Tag Archives: football agent

NFLPA exam feedback

28 Monday Jul 2014

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After a few interesting days in Washington, D.C., last week, shaking hands and meeting the people hoping to be members of the 2014 agent class, I got to talking to several people about the test. I’ve compiled a few texts from the test-takers to give you an idea of what to expect if you’re one of those folks hoping to sit for the exam someday.

“It was no joke. . . I was prepared, it was just harder and worded much more difficult than the practice test. LOL my mind is mushhhhh.” — The first part of this sequence (“It was no joke”) was the first response I got from any of the test-takers (I’ve worked with several of them in the run-up to the test) and was completely unsolicited. This is when I first started to understand that this year’s exam was quite a challenge.

“If I have to do it again, I will do it from memory. Open book slowed me down. And I didn’t need to have to look on all of them. Some yes.” — This is a pretty classic response. Having a chance to refer to source materials tends to lessen people’s intensity when it comes to studying. If you don’t have the answer when a tough question comes along, you have a tendency to look it up, which is natural. Where it really trips you up, however, is when you don’t know an answer (or aren’t sure) on a medium or even easy question. You wind up using time you don’t have. Three hours goes quickly.

“It’s tricky definitely. Thank God I double checked and double checked.” — This is a luxury you don’t have if your strategy is to leaf through the source materials and try to find the answers. Review is key but only if you have time left after you finished Question 60.

“I think it went OK. I don’t want to be too confident . . . lol. It took mostly everyone the entire 3 hrs to take it.” — This response came from one of the most prepared test-takers in the room this year, based on what I know. This tells me the test may have been a little tougher than last year. Each year actual certified agents make up questions for the test. Maybe this year they came with a little hotter stuff.

“The questions are worded very uniquely. . . exam was hard to understand. A lot of unnecessary wording.” — Once again, this tells me they made this year’s exam a little harder than previous tests. The wording is always the part that makes things confusing, but it seems the questions this year were layered with more ‘goop’ than usual.

 

The SIF Interview: Don Mewhort (Pt. 1)

10 Thursday Jul 2014

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Though we usually reserve Fridays for our interview series, we wanted to get a head start on things this week for our conversation with Don Mewhort. Like Marion Graves, whom we interviewed last week, Don and his wife, Gail, received our newsletter aimed at parents of draft-eligible seniors. It helped him as he led the vetting process for his son, Jack, who was selected 2/59 by the Colts in May after a sterling career on the offensive line at Ohio State.

Going into his senior season, what was your perception of what round Jack would be drafted, and where did you get that information from?

“We thought he’d be drafted, but we didn’t have any idea where, maybe in the first five rounds, and where we got that information, we got it from various websites and media outlets. Ohio State didn’t provide any resources for that. Ohio State stayed out of it pretty much. That being said, I didn’t think it was appropriate to work through Ohio State on that. Given the history with agents and universities, I didn’t think it was appropriate to rely on them for that. Coach Meyer and I have a great relationship and I think he would have helped me but I didn’t think it was appropriate.

“Ohio State’s coaches never offered advice on agent selection. However, (former Ohio State assistant coach) Mike Vrabel talked to parents on his experience before Jack’s junior year, in the summer between his sophomore and junior year, and that was an Ohio State-sponsored thing with the parents group.”

What resource or person did you use in the agent vetting process? The school? A friend who played in the NFL? A former OSU teammate? Parents of a former teammate?

“We had a friend who was in the business who was formerly in player representation that I spoke to. He has been out of the business for a long time. We talked to him. We also talked to (ITL’s Neil Stratton) briefly, and I think that was the extent of it.”

How much anxiety or apprehension did you have about the agent selection process going into Jack’s senior year? Was the process intimidating?

“I don’t’ think (Gail and I) felt any anxiety about the process. We only felt anxiety about the phone calls and texts that Jack was receiving.”

When did those start?

“(Mid-July), I guess. The way we handled it, when I got calls, or we got calls at home, we asked (Jack) to refer all the calls to me, and there was a process that we were going to go through, and we asked that they respect Jack’s privacy and commitment to his senior season. We didn’t really want him to be distracted. It can be overwhelming for the (players). It’s flattering, and kind of like going through the recruiting process again, but I’m not sure it’s in the best interest of the kids to be getting recruiting calls from agents during their season.”

How did you go about deciding how you would handle the selection process?

“It’s something we came up with, my wife and I and my father who’s an attorney; he’s semi-retired and had some time to spend on it. We tried to gather as much info as we could from the various agents, and (my father) and I met with a number of people and tried to narrow the list as much as we could. We probably actually met with 10, and then narrowed the list to five, and then picked a day in Columbus, and his mother and I met with the final group, between the regular season and the bowl game. We wanted to have everybody on the same day, so we had the same context for everybody. We met with each of them for about an hour, hour and a half, and then at that point it was really Jack’s decision.”

Did any agents offer illegal inducements to sign Jack? How did agents pitch Jack and the Mewhort family in an attempt to sway them to their side? What’s Don’s advice to other parents? It will all be in Friday’s edition. See you then.

Dollars and cents

20 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by in Coaches, Scouts

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If you’ve been reading us for our first week-plus in existence, you know we’re here to help people fight their way into the football business and climb the ladder against all odds. We’ve focused mainly on three areas: NFL scouts, NFL agents and high school football coaches, especially in Texas. Though all three have had popular modern movies made about them (Draft Day, Jerry Maguire and Friday Night Lights), some are a little more glorious than others.

Today I wanted to take a quick look at two career paths, scouts and prep coaches, at least in Texas.

Used to, entry-level scouts were called ’20-20 guys.’ That’s because they were hired in their early 20s and were making around $20,000-$25,000, at least in their first year or so. Based on texts from a handful of scouts this morning, new scouts are making in the $40,000-$50,000 range now. That’s about double the old days. The downside is that it’s a very volatile business, and changes at the GM level, and sometimes at the head coach spot, can mean you’re out and on the street. What’s more, it’s not always easy to find another job.

High school football coaches, at least in the Lone Star State, are probably starting off in the $50,000 range, too. That’s because entry-level teachers make around $40,000 in better school districts, and by the time you factor in the stipends involved with coaching a couple sports (football isn’t the only sport for most coaches), you’re in that $50K range. The big difference is that if your head coach gets reassigned, you’ve still got a job. The other big plus is that you’re not on the road 11 months out of the year, as a scout is. Of course, if you’re young and single, maybe that’s not such a big deal, but if you’re more focused on starting a family, coaching is pretty attractive.

We’ll continue to discuss various football careers next week. Happy weekend.

First-year agent lessons (cont.)

18 Wednesday Jun 2014

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Today we decided to fuse War Story Wednesday with Tuesday’s theme and continue to roll out first-hand experiences from selected first-year agents.

Coral Springs, Fla.-based Jason Beneby, who represents Falcons DT Nosa Eguae: “There are a few (lessons I learned). One is, knowing the true NFL evaluation system of a player. I think once you understand and have the ability to separate what the mass media think compared to what people in the business know and understand, that point can’t be stressed enough. I would also stress bringing in players with good character and the drive for hard work. There’s a sense of entitlement in this generation of players and the key is to make them understand their work is not done just because they entered the draft and signed with an agent. It’s not about living life like you’re on an NFL team because you’re not. You want players that are good character. The NFL’s reality and a player’s perception are two different things.”

Bellevue, Wash.-based Scott Weitz, who represents Cardinals WR Kevin Smith: “I wish I’d raised investors so I could go after guys with a bigger piggy bank, to pay for the training and whatnot. The other thing is, to really focus on the quality of guys you get rather than the quantity of guys you’re getting. One of our internal goals was, we read an article on (an agent) that signed five guys in a previous draft class, and that was kind of our goal, and he was getting publicity, and (we learned) it’s not that hard to sign five guys that aren’t getting recruited, but it’s hard to sign two guys that are getting recruited. And you learn that once the draft comes, it’s not always easy to be on these teams’ radar and at that point you’re just dealing with disappointed guys afterwards. And another thing, you gotta have ITL behind you, especially that first year.

Fargo, N.D.-based Michael Gust, who represents Redskins CB Bryan Shepherd: “You don’t know what you don’t know. And frankly, that’s why everybody should sign up for (Inside the League). Your emails and the phone calls (you and I have) had . . . you don’t know what you don’t know. Unless you work at a firm that does this, and you come from that background, you don’t know anything about it. And even if you have that firm experience, sports management firm, until you’re actually the one dealing with the player face to face, one on one, you don’t know what you don’t know. Inside the League provides you with that info, (and informs) us of what we should know.”

Hard lessons of a 1st-year agent

17 Tuesday Jun 2014

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At ITL, we take our job of helping new football agents very seriously. In the football business as in life, it’s one thing to think you know about a topic, but until you actually dive in and try to swim with the sharks, your eyes haven’t truly been opened.

This is especially true for contract advisors. Sometimes when we reach out to folks registered to take the NFLPA exam, they’re full of pluck and confidence, even cocky. Sometimes they’re a little nervous. Very often they’re somewhere in-between. But one thing is always true: after their first year, they have a dramatically different take on things.

For the last two summers, we’ve interviewed our clients after the conclusion of their first year certified by the NFLPA. Their thoughts go into our newsletter aimed at those aspiring to one day be agents. We only interview the ones who actually have players on NFL rosters, which is a fraction of the entire class. In other words, this is a select group that has at least experienced some measure of success. The last question we always ask is, ‘What’s the lesson you learned that you wish you’d known a year ago?’ Their answers are always insightful and interesting, but we have to edit them so they’ll fit the restraints of our daily email. We thought we’d pass a few along in long form.

Chicago-based Ronke Champion, who represents Giants FS Kyle Sebetic: “You need to do your homework on a player before you agree (to represent someone). Being a new agent, you want to just represent somebody, but it’s a lot of work to represent a player who’s not going anywhere. When it’s all said and done, the kid who I was doing a favor to his parents was the one who gave me the most trouble. My business got really busy then and I didn’t think I could do it. As a new agent, we just want to represent people, but those longshot kids are the ones that call the most and have unrealistic expectations. When his mom accused me of being a woman and not knowing what I was doing (because I was a woman), I said, you have my permission to go find another agent. I said, ‘You need to talk to me and tell me how you get that feeling. I have another kid getting calls every day, and your son isn’t getting any calls, and that’s not my fault.’ My advice is, don’t sign a kid — help them but don’t sign them — if they don’t have any chance.”

Slidell, La.-based Dr. James Gilmore, who represents Jets TE Terrence Miller: “Don’t assume that just because you’re getting to know a player that they’re going to sign with you. They aren’t yours until they sign the SRA. I traveled to the Cotton Bowl to hang out with (a player’s) family, and was about to go to one of the all-star games, and said, ‘You go on your own, and enjoy yourself,’ and he called me from the bowl game, and he told me he put (my) name on the list as his agent, and I was assuming things were well, and when he got home from his bowl game, he called and said he was going with someone he met at the bowl game. After two months of really good courtship, at the end of the day, his parents made him go with someone who had been doing it longer. He said his dad made him go with experience, and the other agent came to his house. Never assume. If I was smarter, I could have signed him at the Cotton Bowl, but being new to this, I was like, ‘take your time.’ It was like a new friendship, but it’s a business relationship that’s not filed until they sign the contract. Until the SRA is signed, they’re not yours.”

 

 

Perspectives on personnel jobs

09 Monday Jun 2014

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I just texted a friend of mine. He’s got about four decades of scouting under his belt, but despite having as much or more experience than virtually any personnel man out there, he’s been out of the NFL for about five years now. He’s hoping (and I’m hoping, because he’s been a great friend) to get the news this week that he’s been hired on with a new team.

Meanwhile, I have still another friend who’s got about the same level of experience, and who’s looking around. His prospects are few, and he’s getting concerned. What’s more, he knows that if something doesn’t happen in the next 2-3 weeks, it’s probably not going to happen, and he’s looking at selling insurance. I try to allay his fears, but knowing how hard it is to get a job, I don’t know what to say.

So what does this have to do with educating young people about working in the NFL? Sometimes it’s better to start at the end of the story to illustrate a point. Today let’s talk about scouting, and what you need to know if you’re hoping to be an NFL GM some day.

There is no specific pipeline into NFL scouting, despite programs that promise to enhance your chances. Typically, teams start looking for interns in the spring and summer, hoping to begin filling these unpaid positions by mid-summer. Who handles the process? It varies. I know a few years ago the 49ers’ GM was handling entreaties himself. Other teams have applicants go through their Directors of College Scouting, while others have everything sent directly to Human Resources. That’s one of the things that make applying to teams tricky; there’s a trial-and-error element just to find out where to send your resume.

Interns may start anywhere. There are probably a dozen NFL scouts who started out as training camp aides, telling fans to get behind the velvet rope or dragging water jugs around. Arizona’s John Mancini started out in tickets, then merchandise, before finally getting his chance in personnel. One way or another, you can expect to put in a year or two before you really get a chance to go out on the road and put a watch on someone.

The profile of a young person being hired into scouting departments today is probably an ex-college football player who’s 23-25 years old. Chances are he already lives in or has a background in the city of the team that hired him (we’ll discuss geography and its importance later). Typically, he was picked from 200-300 applicants.

Now for the discouraging part. He’s also almost surely got a connection to someone on the team. Not always, but very often. I remember a few years ago calling a scouting friend who’s actually now a GM. I wanted to learn more about the hiring process for young scouts, so I asked him, how does a kid get hired as a scouting assistant? He answered by asking, ‘Why, you got someone?’ That was the tone as I continued to ask other friends in the business. Most of the time, if you’re trying to get into the business, you need a ‘champion.’ That’s something else we’ll develop more later.

There’s one more aspect of the business to discuss that’s become a bit of a trend. The Patriots’ success over the past decade-plus has had a major impact on the way teams do things, and that includes scouting. Historically, teams hired seasoned ex-coaches as scouts, expecting them to not only gather 40 times and background info from their contacts but also to develop opinions about players. From there, they’d make recommendations. The Patriots, however, have always centralized their decision-making at the upper-management level in tandem with head coach Bill Belichick. They only want their scouts to gather facts, finite things with little wiggle room like heights, weights, whether a player has been suspended, how many kids he has, etc.

The Patriots count on their experts to have opinions. Other teams have seen this, and in many cases have adopted this philosophy. This is good news if you’re fresh out of college and hoping to become a scout. However, it’s driven down scouting salaries, devalued experience, and lowered expectations for people in personnel. It’s really ramped up turnover in scouting departments; we tracked more than 100 changes in scouting departments last year and almost 150 in 2012. It’s also made it way harder for scouts who came up before the Patriots’ Way to find a new job. That’s why I’m really hoping my friend lands back in the NFL today, and my other friend can beat the odds before he has to launch a late career in insurance.

Options

06 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by in Getting started

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When I tell people what I do, they usually think I’m one of two things. Either an agent or a scout. Of course, I’m neither, though even most of the people close to me have trouble explaining just what it is I do. But the point is, most laymen think of all football-related off-field jobs as fitting into one of these two categories.

I guess that’s fair enough. Ever since the movie ‘Jerry Maguire’ came out in 1996, the job of football agent has become almost mythical. Every year, people register to take the agent exam in January, then travel to Washington, D.C., at the end of July to take it, and all the while know very little about the business except that they want to be part of it. I’ve talked to people who are bartenders; who don’t even live in the United States; and who want to use the business as a means to managing pro wrestlers. The expenses of being an agent, the difficulty of contacting young athletes, the hoops that schools make you jump through to sign these young men are all alien to them. Still, they have a singular focus, one that perhaps you share. It’s hard to question their passion, of course, but I wonder if they’ve done the proper research.

Then there’s scouting. Most people think of NFL scouting as fantasy football on the atomic level. Many football enthusiasts see scouts as part king-maker, part guru. These men are paid to watch and talk about football, and hold the deepest, darkest secrets of the young men who fascinate the American public on Saturdays and Sundays in the fall. I used to subscribe to this belief, too, before I began to understand all the nuances of the game, and where scouts fit into the puzzle. We’ll go into depth on both the agent and scouting fields as we go forward.

However, there are other paths into the game that are worth pursuing. The business of combine preparation has seen major growth in the last decade, and there are new facilities diving into combine prep almost every day. Very often these jobs can be parlayed into positions with major schools. High school coaching may not have the glamor of negotiating contracts or making picks on draft day, but it’s not an uncommon first step for those interested in scouting. What’s more, good coaches in Texas at the Class 5A and 6A level can make $100,000/year. If you’re more of an entrepreneurial sort, you can launch your own website. That’s one more possible path to NFL scouting (or, if you’re open to working in other leagues, even CFL scouting for Russ Lande and John Murphy). The key is to have a strategy, work a plan, and set goals.

Speaking of goals, our goal in launching this blog is to help you find your path to the football profession. We’ll start by going into greater depth on the ‘glamor’ fields of football, the agent business and the job of being a scout for an NFL team. We’ll talk about the sacrifices that must be made and the odds you’ll face, as well as the rewards at the end of the rainbow for those who succeed. We’ll also develop the other professions that have gained traction as cottage industries, talking to people who’ve had success with it. We’ve been blessed to build relationships with people of all stripes who’ve ‘made it’ in football, and we’re eager to pass along what we’ve learned, as well as what they’ve learned.

We’re happy you’ve joined us, and we hope you’ll tell a friend who’s also interested in succeeding in football about us. Happy weekend. See you Monday.

 

 

Kicking off

05 Thursday Jun 2014

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Well, where should I begin? I guess I’ll just dive right in.

If you’re here, you probably follow me on Twitter, or have met me at an all-star game, or have heard I’m some guy that talks about how to get a job in football. You may be an aspiring NFL agent or scout. You may have received one of our newsletters series specifically for NFL financial advisors, NFL contract advisors, parents of prospective NFL players or combine prep trainers. You might also know me from my work with Champions Search Firm, which helps schools fill vacancies on their athletic staffs, especially in Texas. If you’re any of these people, welcome.

If you’re not any of them but you’ve found this page, welcome just the same. As you may or may not know, Inside the League, my regular site, is widely read by people in the business of football, college and pro. Here’s a brief bio. We’ve been blessed to work with the contract advisors for about two-thirds of players in the NFL plus most of the major financial firms and top combine prep facilities. We don’t do mock drafts, or player rankings, or rants, or stats. Just straight talk and info for people in the business. However, until now, I didn’t really have a platform for speaking to those who don’t need the directed, somewhat nuanced information we provide at ITL. Many folks, young and old, are serious about being a sports management professional but don’t quite know where to get started. Well, we want to help.

We’ve started to offer hands-on aid to people who are trying to get a leg up on the industry, and we’ll share what we’ve learned here. We’ll also share words of wisdom and experience from people who are already living their football dreams. That might take the form of interviews, or YouTube videos, or whatever. The main thing is, we are excited about people who are excited about making football their profession, and we want to help.

Rather than droning on and on, I’ll close for now. But I’ll be back. If you have any ideas on topics, or want to talk further about the industry, or anything else, you can reach me here.

Thanks for joining me on this ride, wherever it takes us. It’s gonna be fun. I can hardly wait for tomorrow.