Agent Spotlight: Shark Attack
Written by Daniel Turner, Tuesday May 19 2009
Drew Rosenhaus titled his autobiography A Shark Never Sleeps. In Annie Hall Woody Allen told Diane Keaton that a relationship is like a shark, it either moves forward, or it dies. “What we have here,” he summarized “is a dead shark.” No client having Rosenhaus as his agent has to worry if this shark is dead.
Unlike that silhouette of a fin before the waters turn turbulent Rosenhaus keeps a high profile in the agent/client waters. He has authored an autobiography, co-written a book on the art of being an agent with his brother and partner Jason and appeared in movies and commercials. Rosenhaus is so confident in his ability to provide representation that he also hosts shows on the NFL where he discusses draft speculation and the free agent market. He was a guest on Arliss, visited the David Letterman Show, is alleged to be the source for the Bob Sugar character in Jerry McGuire and once represented the King in a Burger King spot. His mugging of “Next question.” when asked about the size of the King’s head was a direct reference to the strained relationship between client Terrell Owens and the Philadelphia Eagles that was transpiring as the commercial was filmed.
Yes, Rosenhaus is a high profile guy, but one look at his client list is proof that his personality is a key to his representation. Along with T.O. Rosenhaus represents Plaxico Burress, Santana Moss, Jeremy Shockey, Ocho Cinco and Kellen Winslow Jr. These guys aren’t exactly wall flowers and their personalities fuel their desire for recognition and due compensation for what they bring to the table. Your everyday, run of the mill agent would soon burn out with a similar client list and probably see some of them fly the coop. Most likely they would exit to take up residence with a guy more in line with their personality. In other words, an aggressive agent who is out for his clients at all costs. That would be someone like Drew Rosenhaus.
Along with being one of the most successful at his trade, Rosenhaus is also one of the youngest. At the age of 22 Rosenhaus became the youngest licensed agent. The graduate of Miami was still securing his law degree from Duke when he entered the field of athlete representation. Having done his homework while in college, Rosenhaus tapped the talent available from Miami’s athletic program to build a stable of clients for his entry into the business. Still, it was a 2003 Miami draft entry that cemented his reputation as a freewheeling agent who used his acumen, background and working knowledge to secure the best for his clients.
Wallis McGahee sustained a serious knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl. The extent of the injury was considered career threatening as some speculated that McGahee would not get a nod from any NFL franchise until much later in the draft. That would have led to him playing for far less than he was worth. Rosenhaus boldly predicted McGahee would go in the first round and waived his fee if he was wrong. With nothing to lose and everything to gain McGahee joined Rosenhaus in manning the phones on draft day. With the 23rd choice the Buffalo Bills got them to hang up the phone and accept their offer. McGahee had to rehab since he could barely walk when he was chosen, but he reached the level of mobility needed to sign the Bills five year contract.
Most agents prefer to stay out of the spotlight and wouldn’t have made the bold statements regarding what was generally perceived as damaged goods. Rosenhaus writes his own rules in terms of player representation and there is no question he landed McGahee in the NFL when other agents would have been lucky to secure him the most basic of contracts. This shark moved forward and so did McGahee.
One thing Rosenhaus has made clear is that his client’s representation is first and foremost when he enters negotiations. If a team does not like to negotiate with Rosenhaus it is simply because it knows he is going to work hard to get the utmost for his client. Since Rosenhaus has called for having cameras in the room when negotiations are ongoing he obviously realizes he has nothing to hide.
Sometimes acrimony is unavoidable. Face it, when Terrell Owens leaves a team it’s like Brad leaving Jen. The fallout from his exit with the Eagles would have sent lesser composed agents scurrying for the tall grass hoping T.O. lost their cell number when he moved. This shark continued to press and defend his client. He opposed the Eagles suspension of Owens and tried to have him reinstated. Likewise, he faced down the withering Philadelphia press corps that seemed determined to run both him and his client out of town on a rail.
When the dust settled Owens had a lucrative contract in hand and was on his way to Dallas. The target on his back didn’t grow smaller as the team’s struggles in making and remaining in the playoffs were dumped on his doorstep. The mercurial Jerry Jones gave T.O. the kiss of death when he kept stating he was still a vital part of the team. That was shortly before he imposed a vow of silence on the organization that was lifted long enough to say that Owens was no longer welcome in Irving.
While scribes around the nation were writing Owens off and speculating on how he would augment his income, Rosenhaus struck a quick deal with the Buffalo Bills that now makes T.O. a commodity on both sides of the northern border. Instead of having to wait out a team in desperate need of a WR making a token offer, T.O. spent yesterday greeting his new team mates, beginning the filming of his reality show on VH-1 and receiving the key to Buffalo from Mayor Byron Brown. He did pull in a 40 yard catch to cap all the attention. As for the shark, it was just another day at the beach.
Tags:
Leave a comment
Not So Fast! To publish your comment, you have to login
Not Registered? Register now as it only take 20 seconds!
Click here to browse
1 comment
Please sign in to rate!
If I were a professional football player, this is the agent i would like for me