Money Players

Lakers-Celtics: Looking carefully at the Celts (not so) uniforms

A great tip from my friend Jeff "The Hawkeye" Fellenzer: Did you notice in the montage of photos on the first page, bottom left photo, of the series coverage in this week's Sports Illustrated, that Celtics players in the early '60s apparently wore road jerseys with either "Boston" or "Celtics" on them at the same time? Sanders' jersey says "Boston," Russell's says "Celtics." Typical Russ...his own man. I'd never noticed that before, or remembered it. A uniform that wasn't, well, uniform!

If anyone has a digital image, please email marc.isenberg@gmail.com. Thanks.

Great footage from Lakers-Celtics finals past.

Let the games begin. Prediction: Lakers in 7 games. And I'll take 7 overtimes.

 

ESPN investigates OJ Mayo and Rodney Guillory

Last week, I was critical of people who came forward with secondhand, flimsy information alleging agent impropriety. Well, Louis Johnson, a former business associate of Rodney Guillory, blew the whistle on alleged improper relationships involving O.J. Mayo, Rodney Guillory (an LA-based promoter with a questionable past) and Bill Duffy & Associates, a sports agency. Johnson, who does have some character issues, spoke at length with ESPN’s Kelly Naqi.

A disclaimer: I am friends with Bill Duffy and Calvin Andrews. In fact, Bill gave me a nice endorsement quote for my book. I would be disappointed if it is proven that BDA was bankrolling Guillory, particularly without Mayo’s knowledge. I also know the whistleblower, Louis Johnson.

I’ve written a lot about the specter of agents providing direct and indirect benefits to high school and college players. While there are relevant issues related to NCAA rules and amateurism, I doubt I have anything new to add. Definitely read Yahoo!'s Dan Wetzel. And listen to Dan Patrick's interview with Sonny Vaccaro. My focus is on elite athletes negatively impacted by agents and their intermediaries who use money to buy them on the cheap.

I tell athletes, hypothetically, if the NCAA said tomorrow it was no longer a violation to take extra benefits from agents and runners, I would still argue strongly that they absolutely should not accept agents' money. The reasons have been discussed ad nauseam on this blog. Most important, when it comes time to select an agent, I want athletes choosing the best agents based on merit, not illicit relationships and benefits. 

A few interesting exchanges and tidbits from Kelly Naqi's investigation:

Mother's intuition
Kelly Naqi interviewed O.J.'s mother in February 2008
Naqi: Do you trust Rodney?
O.J.'s mother: No.
Naqi: Why?
O.J.'s mother: It's a mama feeling. I don't  know yet. If Rodney's intentions are good, fine. If it ever plays out that it's not, it's going to go be terrible.

Selling O.J. on the cheap
Lous Johnson on how much money BDA provided to Guillory
"I know there were roughly anywhere between $200 and $250,000 in cash and other benefits that came from the relationship with BDA.
On how much went directly to O.J.
"My best estimate would be maybe $30,000 max for him and the people that were associated him. Most of that stuff never really made it to O.J. OJ really saw a lot of the scraps. The fact of the matter is OJ has been pimped by Rodney."

Complicity
On whether O.J. was complicit in his dealings
Johnson: O.J. wasn't as complicit in some of the things that happened. And I think I've proven that because he wasn't the direct beneficiary of a lot of things that was happening.
Naqi: But he got something he wouldn't have access to he wouldn't to otherwise and he got what he wanted.
Johnson: Yeah, but at the same time, how can you, I or anyone else really sit here and blame him when his circumstances?...He played within the rules of the game. And this is the game: runners, agents, shoe companies, other elements. This is the game. He had no choice but to play it considering his circumstance, considering what was going on in his life, considering how he was living.

The most direct, damning evidence
In an ESPN Chat on Monday, Kelly Naqi wrote, "OJ told [ESPN's Andy] Katz last night that he did not 'receive any money from Calvin or Rodney or anything.' However, the cell phone number that Katz used to get that quote from Mayo was the same number that shows up on Mayo's September cell phone bill, which we obtained, which shows that that number was billed to Guillory's non-profit organization in California called the ICR Foundation. We also obtained proof that Guillory made the initial purchase of that particular cell phone of OJ's."

Best warning since, "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States"
In an October 2006 article CBSSportsline's Greg Doyel forewarned: "Burned by Bush, Southern California should be of wary Mayo."

The fallout
While Johnson's claim that he is trying to save O.J. is dubious, I think basketball on many levels will benefit from these poorly-kept secrets being exposed. Kelly Nagy said in an ESPN chat earlier today, "The NCAA has already contacted me about my report. Based on that conversation, I suspect they'll be looking into this." Stay tuned.

--Marc Isenberg

Reebok's Chris Rivers on NCAA-NBA partnership

At the Final Four the NCAA and NBA announced an "historic partnership" to improve youth basketball. My friend Chris Rivers, Reebok's director of basketball sports marketing, writes a must-read column in Basketball Times. This month he offers his thoughts on the NCAA/NBA partnership to "raise awareness rather than offend."

From Chris Rivers, Reebok:

I applaud the fact that [the NCAA-NBA Partnership has] raised $5 million dollars to put together a task force of "later to be named" individuals to work in a "later to be named" location and specifically address "later to be named" issues.

Below are just some thoughts that make you go "hmm."

• When was the last time anyone saw David Stern or Myles Brand at a youth basketball game?
• If the NCAA's primary concern is education, how can teams fly three hours for an NCAA Tournament game – two days before it starts – and then tell parents that their son needs to attend summer school to make up for the time missed while traveling?
• If college coaches and universities can have million-dollar shoe contracts and multimillion-dollar all-school deals, why are the July shoe camps being "redflagged" as something that isn't good for the game?
• If the NCAA seems so concerned with a certain element that surrounds youth basketball, why have such a high percentage of college coaches evolved from this same system?
• Who was the last NCAA head coach who used his own personal credit card to make sure his program had hotel rooms during a recent road trip? What about airline tickets? Meals? Rental cars? Keep thinking.
• If youth basketball is in such need of a developmental overhaul to produce better fundamentally sound players, why do underclassmen annually dominate the NBA draft?
• I agree that our system should have more regulations and better training and coaching, like our national soccer system. I have studied some of their infrastructure, and they are very impressive at the youth level. But let's just hope that our international performance record is better than our soccer brethren, which last won the World Cup in 1950.

Excerpts published with permission from Basketball Times. Subscribe at www.basketballtimes.com.

BTW-- Chris has a significant role in the upcoming basketball documentary Gunnin' for that Number #1 Spot."

Cheating accusations are not cheating...

and why college athlete cheaters won't prosper

Earlier I posted on CNBC's Darren Rovell interview with sports agent David Falk. Falk laments that the "sports agent business has become so corrupt." Falk made a vague accusation that an unnamed agent paid an unspecified player college player $500,000. Now that the rumor is out there it will undoubtedly pick up steam quickly, particularly since there are only a few likely candidates.

Cheating explains a lot, especially when some event doesn't quite make sense. Examples: A 170-pound shortstop hits 30 home runs; ergo he took steroids. A McDonald's All-American signs with Podunk State U; ergo he was paid. It's like the old joke explaining why Sam Bowie stayed at Kentucky five years. Answer: He didn't want to take a pay cut.  It gets a laugh, but was there ever any proof?

Falk's friend says this kid took money from an agent, but why put it out there as rumor rather than produce hard evidence? For sure we know it is an NCAA violation for a college athlete and his family to receive $500,000. There's also a 72% chance that this is a violation of a state's Uniform Athletes Agent Act (UAAA), since it is now against the law in 36 states. The next to last thing I want is for rumors to turn into witchhunts. The last thing I want, however, is for cheating agents to prosper.

I do not agree with every NCAA rule. I have spoken and written extensively about things the NCAA and its members can do to improve college athletics, BUT...I still tell any athlete or parent who listens that it is absolutely foolish to take money from an agent or their representatives.

My reasons:
1) Whatever benefit that is offered is not sufficient compensation to risk their college eligibility. That agent is knowingly exposing an athlete to a minefield of potential hazards (no eligibility = no opportunity to impress pro scouts, lawsuits, etc.)
2) I don't like blanket statements, but here's one: a cheating agent is a bad agent. He can't compete by selling vague concepts such as competency and ethics, so he diverts attention from the real issues and, instead, focuses on cold, hard cash.
3) Payments by agents are not gifts, but loans that must be repaid. $500k might sound like a lot, especially to an unpaid "amateur," but even at a 10% interest rate, this is a $50,000 annual benefit. Chump change to an athlete about to turn pro.
4) Taking money from an agent is a sure-fire way to either sign with a bad agent and/or become a victim of blackmail (see Marcus Camby, Reggie Bush). Cheaters cheat because they believe they won't get caught. However, as the media, rival fans and the Internet become more aggressive, the chances of getting caught, I believe, are increasing. You too can be an NCAA sleuth!!

--Marc Isenberg

UPDATE: David Falk explains his "$500,000 and three years too late" comment to Henry Abbott's True Hoop.

The bad business of basketball

Darren Rovell interviews sports agent David Falk, who offers some interesting comments about what he (and definitely others) think is wrong with basketball. While I don't like to deal in rumor and innuendo on this blog (not that there's anything wrong with that Buzz Bissinger), I think this is worthy of further discussion. A few snippets (definitely read the entire interview, which also talks about Falk's $5 million donation to Syracuse to start a sports management program):

Darren: How hard is it to be an agent these days?

Falk: It's easier these days because the role of agents is being diminished every year as the leagues continue to pass rules that dramatically restrict what agents can do. In the NBA, they have the rookie scale and the max deals, so they are capping salaries on the front and back end so at every turn you lose your ability to be an entrepreneurial dealmaker. I'm not angry about it. It is what it is. But it just goes to show you the nature of the leagues and their relative strength against their unions.

Darren: There's a reason that the business has a dirty reputation. What's your take on it?

Falk: Instead of evolving, the sports agent business has devolved. ...[W]e're dealing in a world where agents are splitting fees with AAU coaches all the time. And it's getting worse. I wanted to meet a college player who I really enjoyed watching this year. So I asked a friend of mine, who is a very powerful man in the game, to introduce me to him. And he said, "I'd like to help but I can't." And when I asked why. He said, "You are three years and $500,000 short."

Darren: How much are the players to blame in all of this?

Falk: They definitely play a part. I bumped into a player the other day and he said he was on his third agent in 10 years in the league. And this agent was calling him every day and I said to him, "Did you jump from high school into the league?" And he said, "Yeah." And I said, "You're 28 now. Why are you still acting like you're in high school? If you need someone to call you everyday you should have probably gone to college.
---------

If the basketball biz is so dirty, what can be done to improve?

Last month the NCAA and the NBA announced a partnership to address some of the corrupting influences associated with basketball. The NCAA and NBA have provided few details about exactly what they will do to improve the basketball culture. John Feinstein has his doubts [NBA, NCAA Plan to Make Plans].

My small -- but hopefully effective -- solution was to write Money Players, a book to help athletes (and their families) understand the business and ultimately make better financial decisions. Let me know what you think, either by posting a comment below or by e-mailing.

--Marc Isenberg

Kobe's incredible fete of feets

If you haven't seen, this is must-see.

I'm pretty sure the car was behind Kobe, but this is still pretty amazing.

I have no doubt Kobe could jump over a speeding Astin Martin, but it's all timing. If Kobe mis-times his jump, his career would be over. Instantly.

Credit Nike for yet-another brilliant marketing concept. It looks low-budget, but it's incredibly well conceived. Best viral marketing involving NBA star this side of Chris Bosh.

Less Michael Vick, more Baron Davis

Today the Sports Talk Nation is fixated on Michael Vick and his prison sentencing. I'm over Vick. He will pay his debt to society and hopefully come out a better person. If NFL commissioner Roger Goodell thinks Vick deserves another opportunity to play in the NFL again, great. (Whether he will have the ability to come back after a two, probably three-year layoff is another story.) While Vick couldn't sever his ties to his past, there are many other professional athletes who recognize that there are many positive ways to stay true to their communities. Baron Davis, whom I've known since his Crossroads High School (Santa Monica) and UCLA days, gets it. Baron is quoted in the SacBee:

"When you come from where I came from and you come into a lot of money, then a lot of people come out of the woodwork. Those weren't the best people to have around. When you're young, you allow that to happen. You feel a sense of guilt for your success. But you also want to help change people that you feel have potential and talent. But those people are there for a reason, and that's to really become takers.

"I've just become more well-rounded as far as what I want out of life. Coming into the league, it was really all about basketball and it was all about being real and keeping it real with my friends from my neighborhood. I just kind of walled myself off from the rest of the world and from challenging myself to be more than just a basketball player.

"I was just so caught up into going back to my community and going back to my neighborhood and doing as much as I could there that I wasn't allowing myself to soak up all my resources or utilize all my resources. A lot of times, you just get tunnel vision. When you're in the league, sometimes you have people around that just make you feel good. Now, I've opened myself up to having those friends in my life that challenge me every day and force me to be more."

The passing of a real student hyphen athlete

Sad news to start the week. Alec Kessler, 40, died Saturday of an apparent heart attack. He was the ultimate Money Player -- an accomplished basketball player (Georgia’s all-time leading scorer with 1,788 points, later surpassed by Litterial Green, 12th pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, 4-year NBA career) and student (magna cum laude grad, Emory medical school graduate).

People can accuse athletes of not being real students, which may be the case more than we'd like to believe. But Alec Kessler may be the most accomplished student hyphen athlete in recent years: A career in professional sports (the NBA!!) and medicine. After graduating from Emory School of Medicine, Alec became an orthopedic surgeon.

Charles Barkley and others like to remind us that kids have a far better chance to grow up to become doctors than NBA players. Alec Kessler beat incredibly long odds. Twice. Unfortunately, the odds of life are often less predictable.

Kessler is survived by his wife, Rhea, and their two sons, Nicholas and Christopher.

Will Leitch and Gilbert Arenas meet in real life

Interview lasted only seven minutes and 16 seconds, but Gilbert doesn't need to much to heat up. He is, after all, The Hibachi. I am partial to Deadspin and Gilbert Arenas (an LA guy). Glad Will and Gil had a chance to finally meet up (thanks to the fine folks and sister-in-law at EA Sports). A must read, especially if you love any of the following: Will Leitch, Gilbert, trash talking, name calling and porn (actually jokes about porn). While Gilbert is not the most conventional human being, in my opinion, he is a great example of how to effectively work with the public and the media.

On a seemingly unrelated note: Here's a link to NY Times article that includes a photo of LeBron and Sonny and a third, unidentified person meeting at the 2003 All-Star Game. Hey, I know him. It's Brian Movalson, an EA sports marketing guy, in his Jerry Maguire moment. In better times, Movy wasn't treated like such a nobody in the NY Times. (On three...EA Sports...It's in the game.)

Nene plays offense against weak defender of his money

By Marc Isenberg

Another unfortunate alleged financial scandal was reported today. According to a Rocky Mountain News article, "The Denver Nuggets forward [Nene] has accused Joe Santos of failing to fulfill his duties as manager and personal assistant and to keep adequate financial records. He also has said Santos diverted funds for personal use."

Nene learned in January 2006 that he was essentially broke, despite earning a $2 million salary. He then terminated his business relationship with Santos.

Santos alleges that Nene agreed to "pay him 6 percent of his annual revenue over a seven-year span." With Nene's 6 year, $60 million contract, Santos would receive $600,000 a year, up from the $84,000 salary Santos was previously paid to be Nene's errand boy and interpreter.

The NBPA caps agent fees at 4%. Santos deal with Nene appears to circumvent NBPA agent regulations by claiming he was Nene's business manager, not his agent. But Santos's lawyer stated in an email to Rocky Mountain reporter James Paton that Nene's claims have "cut short" Santos' dream to one day become an NBA agent.

I am guessing Santos' dreams will be shattered if he ever tries to become an NBPA certified agent since he appears to have already violated NBPA agent regs.

It's another sad tale. Won't be the last, but always worth repeating.