Money Players

Sex, Lies & NFL interrogations

According to NFL draft prospect Jerod Mayo, an NFL team asked him: "When's the last time you cheated on your girlfriend?" The logical follow up question by this Javert-type had to then be, "And when did you stop beating her?"

I understand the need for NFL teams to do background checks on draft prospects, but this question assumes guilt. Mayo handled the situation very well: "They didn't even ask me, 'Did you cheat on your girlfriend?' I told them I didn't cheat on my girlfriend."

This reminds me of the great story then-free agent Jayson Williams told about how the Chicago Bulls put him through several hours of psychological testing and questioning. The Bulls then signed the ultimate headcase, Dennis Rodman. On the other hand, Rodman never shot anyone to death, so perhaps Jerry Krause knew what he was doing. 

Dirty Love talk

I went up to Oregon this past weekend to see the Oregon/UCLA and Oregon/USC hoops games. I am an admitted UCLA fan, but I also wanted to see my guy Bryce Taylor.

I am generally tolerant when it comes to students cheering and even jeering, but the Oregon fans crossed the line with their taunting of Oregon-native Kevin Love.

I can deal with "bullshit" chants, even if I think it's classless. But...

"Kevin Love is a pussy" crosses the line, right?

One extended round of chants, okay. But the second time someone from Oregon should have stopped the game and made it clear that this was unacceptable. The handmade signs were even more over-the-top and obscene. The "Pit Crew" also put up Love's cell number, which basically rendered his phone useless after he got got hundreds of text messages and voicemails.

Kevin Love handled the whole thing with class, hardly acknowledging the fans and leading his Bruins to victory.

Before the USC game, Ernie Kent did make a pregame announcement, asking fans to behave. In that game, Oregon came back from 9 down with less than a minute to send the game into overtime. The environment was electric. The Pit Crew are the loudest fans in college basketball -- or a close second to the Cameron Crazies.

So what should be done? Oregon AD Pat Kilkenny called UCLA to apologize.

Henry Abbott from True Hoop e-mailed me this idea:
"Man oh man. What do with the reality that a lot of people are tasteless idiots. Here's one idea: videotape the worst offenders with those signs. Slow-motion it. And then add their names, majors, GPAs etc. and send it to their parents, professors, advisers etc."

I like it.

--Marc Isenberg

Money Players Top 10 Biggest Sports Losers in 2007

"How did you go bankrupt?"
"Two Ways. Gradually, and then suddenly."
—Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

Here is my list for the 10 Biggest Sports Losers in 2007...

10. The fallout from Alex Rodriguez It's hard to characterize someone who signed a $300+ million deal as a financial blunder, but even Rodriguez admits, "The whole thing was a mistake. It was a huge debacle." The tally:

• The Yankees lost $21.3 million in subsidies from the Texas Rangers under the terms the trade which brought Rodriquez to the Yankees in 2004.
• Rodriquez took a beating in the media, especially when the announced "opt-out" upstaged the 2007 World Series.
• The move caused a major strain on Rodriguez's relationship with agent Scott Boras.
• A-Rod's new contract pays A-Rod over $30 million per year, which is huge money by every standard except A-Rod's previous contact...the new contract is just an 8% increase over his previous mega-deal. No one will cry for A-Rod, but certainly the economics of baseball have improved at a higher rate.

9. Conduct counts NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took unprecedented action against NFL players Chris Henry, Adam “Pacman” Jones, and Tank Johnson. Jones lost $1.292 million in base salary. Henry lost half of his $435,000 base salary, or $217,500. After being cut by the Chicago Bears, Johnson signed with Cowboys for $255,000 to play 8 games, which is the prorated portion of a minimum contract. Based on Johnson's market value, his behavior cost him at least a few million. Jones also plead "no contest" for his role in a strip-club fight left a man paralyzed. [Related Money Players post: Character matters, revenue counts]

8. Taking on the champ Denver Broncos Travis Henry fathered 9 children by 9 different women, which ties him with Evander Holyfield as the once undisputed fathering champ. However, Evander's record deserves an asterisk: of the nine children Evander fathered by six different women, four were born in wedlock. Thankfully, Henry has a $25 million contract to fund a whole-lotta child support. Still when Henry fell behind with some of his payments a judge ordered him to pay $3000 a month and set up a $250,000 trust fund. Henry did win his appeal of a one-year suspension for a positive marijuana test.

7. Caffey files bankruptcy Former NBAer Jason Caffey, who played 10 years in the NBA and signed a $35 million free-agent contract with the Golden State Warriors, filed bankruptcy in October, claiming more than $1.9 million in debts against nearly $1.15 million in assets. Records show Caffey pays $7,000 month in alimony and child support. "Who wouldn't have trouble with that after retiring five years ago?" Caffey said. In reality, Caffey would have needed to bank approximately $1.6 million cover this expense. Caffey got divorced in 2006. More sperm banking: "Several other women have also sued Caffey for child support." 

6. Nene screwed by former business manager Denver Nuggets forward Nene claimed former business manager Joe Santos failed "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. [Related Money Players post: Nene plays offense against weak defender of his money]

5. Marion Jones sprints out of control Not a good year for the former Olympic champion:

• Admitted to lying to federal agents about her use of steroids prior to the 2000 Summer Olympics.
• Plead guilty in U.S. District Court that she had made false statements regarding the BALCO case and a check-fraud case.
• Filed bankruptcy.
• Stripped of all five 5 Olympic medals she won at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

On the bright side, all Olympic medals are not lost: In 2007 she married Obadele Thompson, who won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics. And Marion gave birth to a Olympic hopeful.

4. Michael Jordan's divorce  MJ's divorce from Juanita cost him a reported $168 million. Add another distinction to Michael's career: The most costly celebrity divorce settlement in United States history. Ever. Fortunately for MJ, he made a lot of money to make this distinction possible.

3. Kirk Wright wrongs a lot of pro athletes A quick refresher: Kirk Wright bilked investors, including many current and former NFL players out of at least at least $20 million. (He fraudulently provided investors with reports claiming his firm, International Management Associates, had over $180 million in assets. But when he was finally busted, there was less than $500,000 accounted for.) In February 2007, Wright was ordered to pay nearly $20 million as part of a default judgment by the U.S. District Court in Atlanta. In March 2007, six current and former players sued the NFL and its union, seeking to recoup $20 million they lost in this fraud scheme. (The NFLPA, in response to significant financial losses experienced by several NFL players, began the Financial Advisor Program, a first-of-its-kind program aimed at protecting players against incompetent and fraudulent advisors.)

2. Cirque de Isiah Thomas and James Dolan Mismanagement, horrible judgment, bad lawyering, bad PR, and stupid comments added up to a $11.6 million jury award. NBA commissioner David Stern was smart to strongly  recommend settling the case for $11.5 million, rather than risk further embarrassment by appealing.

And the # 1 Biggest Sports Loser in 2007

1. Say it ain't right, Mike? Michael Vick lost the most in 2007. He lost his NFL career and his freedom for the next two years. The Falcons also demanding Vick repay $20 million of his signing bonus. And in less than one year he went from NFL hero to villain of dog lovers everywhere.

Note: An argument could be made that those people and leagues who suffered from the steroid fallout be placed high on the list. But on second thought, I really believe steroids has had a negligible to positive financial impact on sports. While I would never condone anyone cheating, the case can be made that steroid users prospered while management looked the other way. From a PR standpoint the $20-30 million MLB spent to conduct the Mitchell Report and hopefully clean up the mess was money well spent.

Tell us what you think.

--Marc Isenberg

Marc's book, Money Players now available here. And on amazon.com.

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 meaning of life and death

Reading accounts of the life and tragic death of Sean Taylor is both heartwarming and depressing. From a troubled, violent and dangerous past, emerged a thoughtful, caring family man, teammate and friend. A real team leader. Taylor had so much to live for -- a baby daughter, a career in the NFL -- yet he died so unnecessarily.

Death is never an easy subject. Not only do we have a young, professional athlete cut down in his absolute prime, we're dealing with many other related issues (fame, money, violence, race). Perhaps Taylor's murder is a senseless, random tragedy. Mike Wilbon offers a very different view, first offered in a WashPost.com chat:

I know how I feel about Taylor, and this latest news isn’t surprising in the least, not to me. Whether this incident is or isn’t random, Taylor grew up in a violent world, embraced it, claimed it, loved to run in it and refused to divorce himself from it. He ain’t the first and won’t be the last. We have no idea what happened, or if what we know now will be revised later. It’s sad, yes, but hardly surprising.

Chris Mottram, who blogs Mr. Irrelevant, reacted to Wilbon's comments: "Sure, Taylor’s had some troubles in the past, but that’s like suggesting the slutty girl from high school deserved to be raped."

If you want to believe Sean Taylor's murder was completely senseless and random, that's fine. There's nothing that will bring Taylor back, so there's not much value in playing Monday morning quarterback (or Tues, Wed, Thur, etc. for that matter). Just reduce the talking points to: "It was a senseless tragedy." And, "God had other plans for this young man." On the other hand, if you believe there's a pattern here, this might be an opportunity to have an important, constructive dialog. Wilbon's initial chatter was probably a bit raw, but in the more measured world of column writing (a craft he happens to still be very good at) he expanded on his views. He also points out some of the similaries to Len Bias's tragic death.

Wilbon writes:

The issue of separating yourself from a harmful environment is a recurring theme in the life of black men. It has nothing to do with football, or Sean Taylor or even sports. To frame it as a sports issue is as insulting as it is naive. Most of us, perhaps even the great majority of us who grew up in big urban communities, have to make a decision at some point to hang out or get out.

The kid who becomes a pharmaceutical rep has the same call to make as the lawyer or delivery guy or accountant or sportswriter or football player: Cut off anybody who might do harm, even those who have been friends from the sandbox, or go along to get along.

What we have here is another one of those Rorschach Ink Blot tests, where the meaning of Sean Talyor's murder is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. Sean Taylor, RIP.

--Marc Isenberg

Summer feel-good stories

Haven't had much time to blog in July. Not like I missed anything important. Trying to finish my book, "Money Players: A Pro Athlete's Guide to Success in Sports, Business & Life," which if I continue to not blog should be ready to ship in September.

Sports have not had a carefree, lazy summer. WWE wrestler Chris Benoit tragically put the ultimate sleeper hold on his wife and son before killing himself. After multiple off-the-field transgressions by Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, and Chris Henry, the NFL delivered them swift, severe punishment. Just after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's stronger conduct policy was ratified -- and embraced by owners and players alike -- Michael Vick faces criminal charges for his alleged involvement in a dog fighting ring. Now the NBA is reeling over allegations that one of its referees placed bets on games he officiated. The Tour de France is a complete mess.

And then there's Barry Bonds, who looks pretty wholesome these days, at least relative to the times we live in. As The Onion headline noted, "Bonds Home-Run Scandal Somehow Becomes Feel-Good Sports Story Of Summer."

Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum commenting on the one league which has escaped summer controversy, "Somewhere last week NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was lounging in his deck chair with a tall cocktail and a photo of Sidney Crosby at his side, saying, 'Who cares that the Food Channel gets better ratings than the Stanley Cup finals?'"

Athletes on Notice

By Preetom Bhattacharya

A trip out to Monument Park in Yankee Stadium reveals a collection of baseball legends - Babe Ruth, Micky Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio. They were treated like celebrities and royalty, getting anything they wanted, Marilyn Monroe included. Being treated like a celebrity these days, however, is very different than it was in the 20th Century.

Welcome to the new age of sports journalism: last week, the New York Post chronicled a late-night exploit of Yankee third-baseman Alex Rodriguez with a "mystery blond," complete with a picture of the two and their schedule for the night. The paper has gone so far as getting fan reaction of the "news" and witness accounts from people who have seen A-Rod with the woman in Seattle, Las Vegas, and Dallas. The Post isn't the only paper on the story, as the less-tabloidy New York Daily News also digs deep with their foray into this travesty of investigative journalism.

This kind of paparazzi treatment had been reserved for movie stars and British royalty/the Bekhams. In this digital age, websites like TMZ.com and various blogs like PerezHilton.com rely on camera phones and legions of rabid readers ready to get a picture at any time. Athletes have found embarrassing situations and their personal relationships exposed on the internet, but delving into a player's personal life to this degree is new for mainstream print media, away from the sensational, gossip-filled tabloids at the newsstand and next to the daily dish of news. Journalists are no longer protecting the athletes' exploits as they have in the past, when leagues worked with the media to upkeep the most pristine image of their players and their game. And fans are eager to become news makers rather than news consumers.

By paying for the exclusive rights to the photo, the New York Post has opened the same can of worms that the National Enquirer and Star have - creating a market for pictures of athletes in salacious situations. Why would a photographer be one of 30 others trying to get the best shot of Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton when they can be one of three trying to do the same with an athlete-celebrity like A-Rod or Peyton Manning? If they're paid well, they have no reason not to stalk athletes like they do Hollywood's finest. The tactics of blogs and websites that conventional media scoffed at just ten years ago are now being employed by those very detractors.

Does this mean a throng of photographers will be camping outside of LeBron James' house? Will they wait outside of a team's practice facility like they did for Michael Jordan? Jordan found a way around it - he sped his car up and exited the parking lot with such speed, no one could follow him. He even employed police escorts.

The day where all athletes need to consider such precautions seems to have arrived. Legitimate print media is only fulfilling the demand sports fans have to know the personal lives of the athletes that the fans invest so much of their time and money into. This kind of interest in the private lives of sports stars unfortunately isn't going to go away, meaning athletes won't be able to have many secrets.

As unfortunate as that may be, this is the new territory of professional athletics and sports stars must learn to protect their own persona.

Character matters, revenue counts

By Marc Isenberg

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took unprecedented action against Bengals WR Chris Henry and Titans CB Adam “Pacman” Jones. Henry is suspended 8 games, while Jones is suspended for the entire 2007 season. Jones’ suspension could be shortened if he meets certain conditions set by the NFL.

The most interesting aspect of the suspensions is that Goodell had the express blessing of the NFLPA and players. Typically, players associations cry foul any time the League flexes its muscle. But the vast majority of players who conduct themselves in an appropriate manner have every right to be fed up with peers who repeatedly break the law.

“Just maximize revenue, baby”
Owners know they are competing for entertainment dollars among fans. They recognize that image, both good and bad, impacts revenue. The NFL and other leagues rightfully want to protect their golden images. The public wants its sports heroes appearing in United Way commercials, not with Nelly making it rain. (Of course, these long-running ads will never be the same),

In 1998 New England Patriot owner Robert Kraft, at his wife's urging, took a stand against players with criminal records. The Patriots drafted Nebraska football player Christian Peter who had been arrested multiple times, but cut him before he ever played a down. While many supported this tough stance, it certainly was the exception to the previously unwritten rule that off-the-field legal matters were handled by the judicial system -- especially when a productive player was involved. Three Patriot Super Bowl victories later, perhaps character really does matter. (Peter still enjoyed a long NFL career with another team.)

Roger Goodell understands today's competitive sports marketplace. The image overhaul is right out of the NASCAR playbook (No, not the one that says keep turning left.) NASCAR has sold the public on the total fan experience; devoted fans reward NASCAR teams by buying anything NASCAR-related, from cars to laundry detergent to erectile dysfunction problem solvers.

The perception is the "thug life" translates into lost revenue. And, as we've seen in the Imus controversy, moral order is largely driven by pocketbooks.