Back to the Scene
After the Smith selection the expectation was that Rodgers might be drafted by the Miami Dolphins but they selected Auburn's Running Back Ronnie Brown. Cleveland took Michigan's standout wide receiver Braylon Edwards to join Miami Tight End Kellen Winslow Jr., in what should become a dangerous receiving corp (if Winslow stays healthy and off motorcycles). Then, Chicago brought in Texas Running Back Cedric Bentson, which was expected. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach John Gruden traveled to Berkeley to look at Rodgers in passing drills, and raved about him in the press, so many expected that they would take him. Instead, the Bucs grabbed ball carrier Carnell "Cadillac" Williams from Auburn. So, Rodgers continued to fall. SF 49ers Alex Smith
Introducing Alex Smith
I was seated in the Interview Room, as this was happening. The first interviewee was Alex Smith, preceded by his large contingent of family members and friends. Finally, Smith entered the room to an ovation and camera clicks. When asked what 49ers Coach Mike Nolan said to him, Smith reported that the new coach had "made his decision a long time ago." Auburn and Miami's Ronnie Brown.
Auburn's Ronnie Brown Speaks
After the Smith interview, I stayed in the Interview Room to hear the words of Miami's new ball carrier, Ronnie Brown. He's got a lot of pressure on him, as the Dolphins, still reeling from Ricky Williams' discovery that he loves weed more than pigskin, need a back with his talent. Asked if he was concerned about the possibility of Williams' returning to the Dolphins, he remarked "Not at all. I'm going to go down there with an open mind as far myself going in and establishing a position on the team." The full ASAPSports Ronnie Brown interview can be seen with a click here.
Sports Agent Scott Parker's New Firm
After Brown's interview, I walked back to the main area and then to get some water, when I ran into an old friend, Scott Parker. Scott was well-known sports agent Leigh Steinberg's right hand for several years, and eventually became the head of what was then Steinberg, Moorad and Dunn's Berkeley office after his practice expanded to Newport Beach. As the name changed from that to Steinberg and Moorad, Scott's role increased, and he even moved the office from Berkeley to San Francisco (where he lived). After the much-reported court battle between Leigh and David Dunn , Leigh established Steinberg Enterprises in Newport Beach.
(As a note and as of this writing on April 24th, the case is going back to court. The appeals court judge just threw out Steinberg's $45 million jury award on a technicality, according to Pro Sports Group.)
In 1999, when I approached Leigh to ask for his help in our effort to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland, he specifically instructed me to contact Scott. Parker was one of the first board members of the Oakland Alameda County Sports Commission and a steady player and a tremendous person. Since then, we've kept in touch, but it seems we run into each other at the weirdest places. The last time I saw Scott was at Leigh's Super Bowl party in Houston in 2004.
When Scott recognized me, he chirped "Man, I run into you everywhere. The Bus Stop (a tavern on Union Street in San Francisco), now here. How's it going?" Scott was carrying his ever present large briefcase of material walking about 20 feet behind Cedric Bentson, his client who was just selected at the First Round Pick of the Chicago Bears, and the Fourth Pick in the draft. A nice coup for his new company Legacy Sports Group. "Yeah,"he reported," I just negotiated to buy what was left of Leigh's old business, and now we're working."
Working indeed. The signing bonus for players selected in Bentson's position is commonly between $5 million and $10 million. So, the total payoff from a contract of about $40 million over six years should be between $1.2 million and $2 million for Scott's firm. That's not Scott's hypothesis, it's mine. Hairsplitting aside, it's a nice start. Scott rushed off to keep up with his client, who was on his way to a breifing with NFL officials. The Raiders' Woodson In the Spotlight.
Charles Woodson
Just after my conversation with Scott, I walked into the corridor next to the main ballroom and right into the bright light of a camera owned by San Francisco's KPIX Channel Five. Their sports anchor Dennis O'Donnell was in the middle of an interview with the dapper Oakland Raiders Quarterback Charles Woodson. I didn't wait for them to finish the interview, because I knew the Raiders wouldn't succeed in trading him and I knew what Charles was really in New York for already: two large star-studded parties, one held at the ESPN Zone the previous night that I was told were "off the hook" to use hip-hop lingo; that night I skipped both for dinner at the 21 Club.
Michigan and The Browns' Braylon Edwards.
Braylon Edwards
Not far away from Woodson was the Brown's new receiver Braylon Edwards, himself in the middle of another TV interview. Of all the players Edwards is the one who really seems to enjoy the spotlight. Edwards would be a great fit for some sports TV show in the future. Maybe he'll get one of his own in Cleveland. (The full Braylon Edwards interview can be seen with a click here.)
ESPN's Darren Rovell: One of the Best
ESPN's Darren Rovell
So, I took just a few steps away and literally ran into another good friend: ESPN's Darren Rovell. Darren's the best sports business journalist on television, and does as good a job at it as he does maintaining a healthy supply of gel in his hair. I had to tease him about it.
Darren was about the business of "shadowing" Todd France, the sports agent who runs France Athlete Management Enterprises in Atlanta, and who has Auburn's and now Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown and Auburn's and now Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers, and the Card's pick Andrel Rolle as his clients. I wonder if Darren knows that in late 2003 France was accused of stealing 16 clients including Priest Holmes? It will be interesting to see what Darren comes up with, the question is will his editors at ESPN use it? I feel ESPN doesn't really understand how to cover the sports business, and so Darren's not as much a part of their TV presentation as he should be.
As Rovell was following France, a TV crew was with another First Round pick, the Bears' Cedric Bentson (The full ASAPSports Cedric Bentson interview can be seen with a click here.) , and not far away was Parker, watching the proceedings. I went to grab a bite to eat in the media lunch room, where I could also check on the progress of the draft and Aaron Rodgers, in particular... more..
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