With over 20 NFL clients, Tony Agnone of Eastern Athletic Services is one of the more prominent football agents. He is also the President of the Sports Lawyers Association and speaks at a variety of Sports Law related events.
One of Agnone’s popular clients was New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora. However, Umenyiora recently dropped Agnone in the middle of contract negotiations with the Giants. But Umenyiora wants the world to know that he didn’t fire Agnone.
“Fired is too harsh a word. I just came to the conclusion that this situation I don’t think [Tony Agnone] can help me with. I have no agent currently, and I’m not really looking for one.”
I asked Agnone if he had any comment on Umenyiora’s decision. This is what he offered:
“Sometimes you have to step aside to resolve a problem. That doesn’t mean it’s permanent. Just looking out for the client’s best interest.”
Since the non-firing-but-at-least-temporary-halt-of-association-with Agnone, Umenyiora has agreed to a restructured contract with the Giants.
“This gives me peace of mind, definitely,” Umenyiora said. “We just resolved a situation. It really was affecting me in a bad way. Because I didn’t like all the negativity that was surrounding the whole situation. I couldn’t stand it, because if you know me, you know I’m not that type of person. I’m just happy all that is over with and I’ll be there. I’ll play out this contract, I’ll play this year and I’ll play my heart out.”
