BLEDSOE KEEPING ENDORSEMENTS ON THE SIDELINE

     Drew Bledsoe's strong start in the NFL season has made him a
natural target for endorsement deals.  But his agent, Leigh
Steinberg, has "told them all the same thing: Please call back in
a few months."  Bledsoe is "keeping his regional two year
commitment with McDonald's as well as a deal with Nike as his
only nonfootball associations." Steinberg and Bledsoe are also
trying to establish the Drew Bledsoe Foundation, a fund-raising
group for Boston area youth.  Some see Steinberg's handling of
Bledsoe as similar to that of another client, Troy Aikman.
Aikman waited to cash in on his marketability and now "still
holds his private image along with two Super Bowl rings and a
popular LA Gear commercial" (Michael Holley, BOSTON GLOBE,
10/12).