The NFL Commissioner’s Office just took serious steps to keep its players in line.
Pacman Jones of the Tennessee Titans will be suspended for the entire 2007 NFL season and Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals will be suspended for 8 games [NFL Suspends Titans’ Pacman Jones and Bengals’ Chris Henry]. They must also apply for reinstatement into the league once their suspensions elapse.
The NFL is now under the jurisdiction of a strict commissioner. Roger Goodell will not allow the most successful sport in America fall from grace because of a few unruly players. If the NFL’s success was to ever be in doubt, Goodell just reaffirmed its strength.
What measures will you take to make sure that your client never earns his place into the position that Pacman and Henry find themselves in?
-Darren Heitner
5 replies on “There’s a New Sheriff In Town”
First of all, I think it’s very telling that both the Titans and the Bengals said they supported Commissioner Goodell’s decision. I don’t think this is just Goodell exerting his authority. I think the other players in the league are tired of just a few players bringing down the reputation of the league. It’ll be interesting to see how the NFLPA handles any kind of appeal
To answer your question, I suppose it all depends upon your philosophy of what it means to be a sports agent. Does being an agent mean doing whatever it takes to ensure your client’s financial future? If so, all you have to do is make sure your client doesn’t get caught breaking the law or do whatever it takes to make sure that the charges don’t stick. That way, he can continue playing ball and cashing the checks.
Or does being an agent mean advising and guiding your client in an effort to ensure his success both on and off the field? If this is the case, then you probably would want to build a relationship with your client so that you can try to prevent any off the field incidents before they occur. At the very least, you would definitely want to advise your client of the danger of putting himself in situations that could potentially be damaging to his career.
Granted, some players are not going to want to hear any of that because they think your job is simply to get them the best contracts out there or get them out of any jams that they may find themselve in. But I think that if your philosophy of what it means to be an agent doesn’t match with the player’s expectations, that player probably isn’t going to sign with you anyway.
I think over time, certain agents tend to attract certain kinds of clients, and vice versa. Over time, these things tend to work themselves out on their own.
From an interview with Gil Brandt – former head of scouting operations for the Cowboys:
Q: Can teams like the Jaguars do more to solve the [off-field] problem[s]?
It shows no matter how much checking and preparation you do. Bad things can happen. A lot of it goes back to who their agent is. Sometimes, an agent tells them what they want to hear instead of what they’re supposed to hear. I don’t know how many [agents] make the hard decisions. There’s a lot of competition out there to represent players, so the agents don’t police them like they should.
–http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/041107/jag_9175476.shtml
For people like Pacman and Henry, whose futures look bright if they stay out of trouble, I wish them the best of luck and hope that they change this around. I might add that Pacman may not be suspended for the entire NFL season, as he can apply for reinstatement after the Titan’s week ten game.
Hey Darren,
You found my site earlier today so I wanted to check out yours 🙂 I love your site, excellent job by the way!
About Pacman and Henry. In my opinion, everyone handled the situation well. They both know they were in the wrong, and both accepted it (which is already the first step to coming back). It was his first big decision as “The Commish” and I think he did a pretty decent job.
I hope those guys get their act together and get back into the league. Both are amazing talents and it’s a shame to see their life go wrong because of off-field issues.
I guess the next case will be Ricky Williams and if he gets reinstated.