No matter who won Sunday’s NFL playoffs match-up between the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons, Octagon Football agent C.J. LaBoy had to be feeling good. While he says that his allegiances are now with the Falcons, LaBoy’s hometown team is the 49ers. But these days, the 32-year-old football agent represents four players on the Falcons (safety Thomas DeCoud, LB Stephen Nicholas, CB Dominique Franks and safety William Moore), and Atlanta, Georgia is LaBoy’s home, so his allegiances have understandably shifted.
One recent C.J. LaBoy quote that stood out to me is the following: “I root for my players to have productive and, more importantly, safe games.” It reminded me of a recent brief conversation that I had with the agent, who seems to put the health of his clients at the top of his list of concerns.
I had forwarded LaBoy a question that asked why an agent would be for/against a client having a helmet sensors to detect hits and concussions, which included the statement that it seemed as though most NFL players would not want to be involved in a study because of the fear that it could cost them money down the line. LaBoy agreed with the latter statement, and said, “Most players are torn in fear that it would cost them their jobs if any ‘red flags’ were raised regarding concussions.” As an agent, is has to be tough to cope with that understanding while concurrently wishing that his clients have safe games.
