THIS WEEK:
- Rotten Rosenhaus
- Going Hollywood
- Bet you didn't know"¦
Agent: "Rosenhaus is embarrassing to the business."
He has become as omnipresent as pollution, and just slightly more
offensive. Amidst Terrell Owens ongoing contract squabbles with the Philadelphia
Eagles, Drew Rosenhaus, Owens' agent, has become a media magnet, appearing on
any show that can tolerate his braggadocio and BS.
One prominent sports agent, who asked to remain nameless, says, "I find
a lot of his stuff offensive. Rosenhaus is embarrassing to the business."
Indeed, Rosenhaus is the caricature of the smarmy, money-grubbing sports
agent popularized by Jay Mohr's character in the film "Jerry Maguire" and Robert
Wuhl's "Arliss" in the HBO series of the same name.
Steve Freyer is a Boston based sports agent who has represented
high-profile media and sports clients for 25 years. Among Freyer's clients are Ray
Bourque, Butch Stearns, Dale Arnold and Dan Roche. Regarding Rosenhaus, he
states, "Drew has been able to pick up veteran players from other noteworthy
agents. He represents the lack of ethics in our business, constantly hitting on
other people's clients."
Last week, on ESPN2's "Quite Frankly," host Stephen A. Smith asked
Rosenhaus if he steals clients from other agents. Rosenhaus answered with an
emphatic no. Fellow guest and agent Leigh Steinberg laughed at the response.
That same night, as a guest on "The Late Show with David Letterman,"
Rosenhaus basically told Letterman that his style is to get better deals for clients
who currently have agents. In short, Rosenhaus is a liar.
Says Freyer, "There are teams that will avoid players who have agents
like Rosenhaus. He is has fallen prey to the disease that befalls many
agents. He wants to be the star."
As an example, Freyer points to the late Bob Woolf, a renowned
Boston-based sports agent, best known for representing Celtics legend Larry Bird. He
states, "Woolf was the king of self-promotion, but he was not truly Larry Bird
's agent. The late Larry Fleisher negotiated Bird's last contract with the
Celtics."
The key to being a good agent, according to Freyer, is getting the deal
done. He states, "I've had aggressive negotiations, but my business is the
player's business. My job is to take the abuse, to be a buffer between the
player and the team. If I become the focus of the hostility, I'm not doing
my job."
The aforementioned Steinberg is not beyond reproach. "Leigh walks an
ethical tightrope because lawyers are not supposed to solicit clients," says
Freyer, who is not an attorney. "As a lawyer, he is bound by the ethics of the
Bar Association. Attorneys are taught to negotiate on a combative basis.
This is not the best way to close a gap between a player and a team."
According to Freyer, several years ago, current WEEI personality and
former Boston Globe cartoonist Larry Johnson portrayed the typical sports agent
as a rat. "I was offended and left a message for Larry," says Freyer. "
What bothers me more is that he didn't have the courage to return my call."
In the Owens case, player, agent and team are all culpable. "I'm
surprised that the Eagles would ever have wanted to deal with Owens in the first
place," says Freyer. "Teams always think that they can straighten out a bad
guy. Owens was eager to get out of San Francisco, got a seven-year deal in
Philadelphia and was happy as a clam. Now, that deal is not good. (Eagles
coach) Andy Reid really has to worry about team cohesion at this point."
Holding out remains a strategy in contract negotiations. Says Freyer,
"If a player is truly underpaid, it can be good at times. I never use that,
but I might have a player show up late to camp just to make a statement.
Richard Seymour is a good example. He was underpaid and stated his case the
right way."
Freyer tells the story of client Paul Sorrento, who, in 1992, was playing
behind Kent Hrbek with the Minnesota Twins. "I got on my knees and begged
Twins GM Andy MacPhail to trade Paul so that he could play full time. A couple
of days later, he was dealt to Cleveland. Shortly thereafter, Hrbek
dislocated his shoulder.
"MacPhail told me, "˜See this is what I get for being a good guy.' If
I had whined to the media like Rosenhaus, the trade never would have been
made."
Rosenhaus has said that he wants to seek a trade for Owens. Says
Freyer, "The Eagles have to give Rosenhaus permission to do that. He would then go
to a team and see if they are interested in Owens. They could discuss the
contract, but not the specific players involved in the trade."
Freyer says that there were maybe 25 or 30 sports agents in hockey when
he started in 1980. There are now over 400 registered agents, about the
same number as in the NFL. He is not happy with the direction that men like
Rosenhaus have taken his field. "I would not recommend to my sons that they go
into this business. There are too many weasels."
Hollywood hopes
Tonight at 6:00 p.m., "ESPN Hollywood" premieres on ESPN2. The
program, hosted by Thea Andrews and Mario Lopez, will debut with scheduled features
on Tom Brady, Andy Roddick and the Oakland Raiders Cheerleaders
Previously, Andrews was a co-host on ESPN2's "Cold Pizza." The bright
and talented Andrews was, in truth, the best of that morning program's hosts.
She and co-host Kit Hoover were essentially replaced by Dana Jacobson,
Woody Paige and Skip Bayless. Says Andrews, "We all knew from the start that
changes were going to be made. It was not a shock and it turned out for the best."
Andrews describes her goals for "ESPN Hollywood," stating, "This show
is the intersection between sports and entertainment. There is a mutual
admiration between athletes and actors. You don't expect to see guys like Donovan
McNabb or Dwyane Wade get star struck, but they do."
"ESPN Hollywood" will feature stories, headlines and glimpses of
athletes in their homes and off-field activities. Andrews is excited about sharing
hosting duties with Lopez, best known as Slater from "Saved by the Bell" and
for his portrayal of Greg Louganis in a TV movie about the famed diver.
"Mario is awesome," says Andrews, who has also made cameo appearances
in films. "I was shocked to see what a huge sports fanatic he is."
The affable and attractive Andrews achieved fame as a host and reporter
in Canada before landing the gig on "Cold Pizza." Her style is welcoming
and energetic, perfect for the conglomeration of sports and show biz. "ESPN
does not want to rely simply on sports content," she states. "It's kind of
like MTV. They branched out from exclusively music videos to original
programming. This show is an extension of that."
Bet You Didn't Know"¦
This week, Media Blitz debuts a new periodic feature, "Bet you didn't
know." It is a listing of interesting tidbits and notes from various media
sources. Hence, bet you didn't know"¦
That, according to a fellow agent, the ever-self promoting Drew Rosenhaus
actually called ESPN on July 19 to make sure they knew that he successfully
administered CPR to 4 year-old Maurice Hill who had essentially drowned at the
Grand Floridian Hotel in Orlando. Rosenhaus saved the boy's life while in
Orlando for an appearance at the ESPN Club.
That ESPN Radio Boston AM 890 and AM 1400 has hired former Pats linebacker
and current Patriots front office executive Andre Tippett to do a Patriots
pregame show on Monday nights beginning in early September. The station will also
have a daily live, local show from 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. beginning after Labor
Day. The program's host will be announced in about a week.
That The Lowell Sun offered $5 million more than the eventual buyers of The
Eagle-Tribune newspaper. The Tribune was recently purchased by Community
Newspaper Holdings, Inc. out of Alabama. Word is that the Rogers family,
venerated and respected owners of the paper, preferred a non-local buyer.
That NESN receives $2.40 per subscriber from cable companies that carry the
regional network. That's about $8 million to $10 million per month according
to industry insiders.
That, according to a station source, the Red Sox wanted to give UPN reporter
Dan Roche his 2004 Championship ring on the air, but UPN bosses preferred that
it be given privately.
That Larry Johnson's tongue-in-cheek response to incorrect rumors that he and
Craig Mustard were suspended from their WEEI weekend show last week was, "We're not relevant enough to be suspended."
John Molori's columns are published in The Providence Journal, The Boston
Metro, Patriots Football Weekly, Boston Sports Review, New England Hockey
Journal, New England Ringside Magazine, TheRemyReport.com, PatsFans.com,
BostonSportsReview.com, BostonSportsMedia.com, ColdHardFootballFacts.com and
MethuenOnline.com. Email John at JOMOL3@aol.com.
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