NFL agent DREW ROSENHAUS is the subject of a SPORTS
ILLUSTRATED cover story by Bamberger and Yaegar entitled, "The
Most Hated Man in Football." The article points out that at 29
and with 49 clients he is the "hottest young agent in the NFL"
but one who is described as "slithering and blindly ambitious."
Rosenhaus' popularity among football players comes from his
"relentless" effort to get players the most money possible, which
client Robert Massey calls "the bottom line for an agent." Even
Rosenhaus admits that he is not 100% "honest with teams," adding
"I'm not a pathological liar. But ... I'll bluff. Teams are not
supposed to believe agents." Several agents accuse Rosenhaus of
writing form dismissal letters so players can easily fire their
agents and hire him and of undermining the market by cutting his
commission, sometimes as low as 1%. Agent Craig Fenech: "When
you look up sleazeball agent, there's a picture of Drew." Agent
Peter Schaffer: "Drew is the biggest scumbag in the business."
Rosenhaus responds: "They hate me because I'm young and I've
broken into this business and kicked everybody's ass" (SI, 7/15).
