Last week, a baseball agent forwarded me an email he received from the University of Central Florida (UCF) Athletic Compliance Office after he read my article, BYU’s New Football Agent Policy Another Laughable Attempt To Limit Communication Between Players And Agents. These types of university communications and policies makes one wonder what is truly going on behind closed doors.
The email, in part, stated:
Through our recent research, the University of Central Florida Athletic Compliance Office has become aware of your registration with the State of Florida as an athlete-agent. Along with registering with the State of Florida, the UCF Athletic Compliance Office requires all athlete-agents and advisors to complete the UCF Athlete-Agent Initial Registration Form if you wish to contact any of our student-athletes.
It is our institutional policy that we have copies of all of the following licenses on file prior to approval and correspondence with our student-athletes, along with completing the attached registration form. Please complete the Agent & Advisor Initial Registration form and fax or email all documentation to the UCF Athletic Compliance Office.
* A copy of State of Florida Agent License; &
* A copy of a Professional League Agent License.
There is nothing wrong with the email other than the fact that it reveals a total lack of care concerning the process. This baseball agent has been licensed as an Athlete Agent with the State of Florida for roughly 20 years. That through UCF’s “recent research”, it was able to become aware of this agent’s registration is bizarre. Further, UCF obviously knew that the baseball agent had a valid Athlete Agent license from the State of Florida – the school had to “become aware” of that information through a search of the records of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) database. Yet, the email still wants the agent to have copies of his license on file if he wishes to contact any of UCF’s student-athletes. When the agent called up the university to ask why it was necessary to send a copy of a license the school knew he already had, the answer he received was, “Ummm.”
That’s typically my response to why these rules exist in the first place.
