Remember when I told you that you can Cross CAA Off Of Leinart’s List Of Friends? At the time, no one knew quite why Leinart fired CAA as his marketing agency. I pondered if maybe Matty-Boy did not like Tom Condon or if the snacks at CAA were going down in quality (definitely a selling point). Commenter Chris felt that it was probably due to the fact that Leinart is an athlete that’s hard to work for and with. Seems like Chris was correct in his sentiments.
Apparently Leinart got a little jealous and decided to make a bunch of people unhappy at CAA because of his little issue. See, Leinart threw a tantrum due to that fact that CAA got Peyton Manning a guest spot on Saturday Night Live before Leinart got his shayna punim (Yiddish for “pretty face” for you non-Jews) on NBC [Matt Leinart: That’s All We Needed Was MORE Paris Hilton Jokes]. Leinart’s got feelings CAA, and you totally hurt them.
-Darren Heitner
7 replies on “Matt Leinart Just Needs A Big Hug”
But according to Chris he’s still working with CAA/Condon/Price in regards to his contract negotiations, just not his marketing/brand rights?
Yeah. I’ve read that elsewhere as well.
Quiet frankly, it seems that CAA is growing to quick for their own good. As much as I am for big business, when your dealing with an industry as personal as sports representation you clients cant see themselves as just another number for you. CAA is buying up all the botique marketing and management firms so fast that a good percentage of their clients dont even know there being represented by them.
On a lighter note, nice use of the Yiddish Darren. I never could have thought that a discussion about the sports agent business would have reminded me of my grandmother screaming at me in Yiddish as a little kid.
Someone should remind him that Peyton Manning just won a Super Bowl. I wonder what would make him think that he should have been the host.
For the most part Chuck Price handles his contract negotiations, but for some reason Tom Condon is and has been on his SRA the entire time. Price also represents Nick Barnett (Packers) and Az-Hakim and Condon is not on their SRA’s. So it is not as if Price needs Condon for assistance. The whole thing has been a very odd situation from the get-go.
I’m interested to see who Matt hires, I’ve read (maybe here) that it would not be a Hollywood agency and it would not be an agency with a lot of “star” athletes. I really don’t know who that leaves, potentially he could/would hire a friend with a marketing background like Lebron James did with Maverick Carter.
Also, for what it is worth it is not likely the CAA blew up the phones at SNL offices to get Peyton on the show, it was likely the opposite.
[…] May 4, 2007: News comes out that Leinart got mad at CAA because Peyton Manning received a guest spot on Saturday Night Live before Matty Boy [Matt Leinart Just Needs A Big Hug]. […]