Lord Sun
05-26-2004, 11:28 AM
By Len Pastabelly, ESPN.com
Over the past two decades, agents Eugene Parker and Roosevelt Barnes negotiated several landmark NFL contracts, and assembled a clientele roster that included some of the league's highest-profile performers.
But rarely has the pair of veteran agents, who form Maximum Sports Management of Fort Wayne, Ind., enjoyed the degree of success experienced in this year's draft. Coming off a few fallow recruiting years, and a stretch in which their influence at Southern strongholds such as Florida State wasn't quite as dominant as in the past, Parker and Barnes put together a very strong recruiting class.
Barnes and Parker totaled 50 points, well below the record 69 points tallied in 2003 by IMG Football, but still enough to capture their first agent draft derby. IMG Football won three of the first four derbies.
"It's not so much a prize as it is a responsibility," Parker said. "We see it as a beginning, a starting point for our relationship with some excellent clients, and now we owe it to all of them to do the best job we can do during their NFL careers."
Points in the agent draft derby are awarded in descending order for each player chosen, with a first-round selection netting seven points, a second-rounder getting six points, all the way down to one point for a player taken in the seventh round. The scoring is based on an NFL Players Association document, listing the representatives for each of the 255 prospects chosen, and which was recently distributed via e-mail to national media.
Once again, the agent draft derby reflected the competitive nature of the business, as 11 agents or firms scored more than 25 points and 18 agents had 20 points or more. While the conglomerate agencies such as SFX, IMG Football and Octagon continued to rank in the top 10, this draft again demonstrated that smaller agencies remain viable. So-called "boutique" agencies, usually made up of no more than two agents and certainly lacking the financial resources of the conglomerate firms, more than held their own.
Roughly half of the agencies that scored more than 25 points would be considered as "boutique" firms. Some old standbys such as Rosenhaus Sports and Athletic Resource Management, groups that have only two certified agents, were again in the top group. And underrated Craig Domann and Drew Pittman, who combined for nine clients and 30 points, joined the elite group for the first time. While Domann and Pittman did not have a client chosen higher than the third round, they tied for most players chosen, and showed that doing the legwork pays off.
The 30 first-rounders with representation were split among 18 agents or firms. Only six agencies had multiple first-round selections.
Notable is that Joel Segal, who works as an individual agent and whose support group basically consists of just one non-agent attorney in his office, finished in a fifth-place tie, with 34 points. He was the top-rated "independent" agent and one of just five representatives with at least three prospects selected in the first round.
In a business where agents are increasingly partnering up, to remain competitive against the conglomerates and to share resources, Segal has bucked the trend. He has declined opportunities to sell his firm, rebuffed overtures from potential partners, and continued to go it alone.
"There is definitely more time involved," Segal said, "but I really do like the recruiting, getting to know my clients and their families a lot better. You just have to make sure you don't get outworked. If you don't hustle, well, you're going to be in trouble. But creating strong relationships, trying to offer a personal touch, that's a big element of it. My players know that the guy who recruited them is the very same guy who is going to the bargaining table for them, without exception, and I think that's an advantage I offer them."
In fact, while Parker won't admit it, most observers feel it was Maximum's re-emphasis of those simpler-is-better principles that sparked its strong performance. Three years ago, Maximum was acquired by Assante, a Canadian-based corporation, during a period in which investment and entertainment conglomerates were anxious to tap into the athletic representation arena. The results of such corporations has been mixed.
Parker did acknowledge that he and Barnes revisited their recruiting strategies and got back to their roots.
"It's still about relationships and about servicing clients," he allowed. "That's something that will never change."
Len Pastabelly is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
Over the past two decades, agents Eugene Parker and Roosevelt Barnes negotiated several landmark NFL contracts, and assembled a clientele roster that included some of the league's highest-profile performers.
But rarely has the pair of veteran agents, who form Maximum Sports Management of Fort Wayne, Ind., enjoyed the degree of success experienced in this year's draft. Coming off a few fallow recruiting years, and a stretch in which their influence at Southern strongholds such as Florida State wasn't quite as dominant as in the past, Parker and Barnes put together a very strong recruiting class.
Barnes and Parker totaled 50 points, well below the record 69 points tallied in 2003 by IMG Football, but still enough to capture their first agent draft derby. IMG Football won three of the first four derbies.
"It's not so much a prize as it is a responsibility," Parker said. "We see it as a beginning, a starting point for our relationship with some excellent clients, and now we owe it to all of them to do the best job we can do during their NFL careers."
Points in the agent draft derby are awarded in descending order for each player chosen, with a first-round selection netting seven points, a second-rounder getting six points, all the way down to one point for a player taken in the seventh round. The scoring is based on an NFL Players Association document, listing the representatives for each of the 255 prospects chosen, and which was recently distributed via e-mail to national media.
Once again, the agent draft derby reflected the competitive nature of the business, as 11 agents or firms scored more than 25 points and 18 agents had 20 points or more. While the conglomerate agencies such as SFX, IMG Football and Octagon continued to rank in the top 10, this draft again demonstrated that smaller agencies remain viable. So-called "boutique" agencies, usually made up of no more than two agents and certainly lacking the financial resources of the conglomerate firms, more than held their own.
Roughly half of the agencies that scored more than 25 points would be considered as "boutique" firms. Some old standbys such as Rosenhaus Sports and Athletic Resource Management, groups that have only two certified agents, were again in the top group. And underrated Craig Domann and Drew Pittman, who combined for nine clients and 30 points, joined the elite group for the first time. While Domann and Pittman did not have a client chosen higher than the third round, they tied for most players chosen, and showed that doing the legwork pays off.
The 30 first-rounders with representation were split among 18 agents or firms. Only six agencies had multiple first-round selections.
Notable is that Joel Segal, who works as an individual agent and whose support group basically consists of just one non-agent attorney in his office, finished in a fifth-place tie, with 34 points. He was the top-rated "independent" agent and one of just five representatives with at least three prospects selected in the first round.
In a business where agents are increasingly partnering up, to remain competitive against the conglomerates and to share resources, Segal has bucked the trend. He has declined opportunities to sell his firm, rebuffed overtures from potential partners, and continued to go it alone.
"There is definitely more time involved," Segal said, "but I really do like the recruiting, getting to know my clients and their families a lot better. You just have to make sure you don't get outworked. If you don't hustle, well, you're going to be in trouble. But creating strong relationships, trying to offer a personal touch, that's a big element of it. My players know that the guy who recruited them is the very same guy who is going to the bargaining table for them, without exception, and I think that's an advantage I offer them."
In fact, while Parker won't admit it, most observers feel it was Maximum's re-emphasis of those simpler-is-better principles that sparked its strong performance. Three years ago, Maximum was acquired by Assante, a Canadian-based corporation, during a period in which investment and entertainment conglomerates were anxious to tap into the athletic representation arena. The results of such corporations has been mixed.
Parker did acknowledge that he and Barnes revisited their recruiting strategies and got back to their roots.
"It's still about relationships and about servicing clients," he allowed. "That's something that will never change."
Len Pastabelly is a senior writer for ESPN.com.