Percy "Master P" Miller's role in the sports industry
continues to increase, and in San Antonio today, Buck Harvey
writes that Miller "tells friends he wants to buy the Spurs
and move them to" New Orleans (S.A. EXPRESS-NEWS, 2/16).
Meanwhile, Master P is profiled by Steve Jones in a Life
section Cover Story in USA TODAY. Miller: "People have
always underestimated me. In business, they'd think, 'Oh,
this is some black guy with gold teeth. He's ignorant.' I
made $200 million last year. You can't prejudge people"
(USA TODAY, 2/16). In San Diego, Jerry Magee reported on
Master P's LA-based agency No Limit Sports recent signing of
Ricky Williams, and noted speculation that No Limit gave
Williams a $200,000 "advance, which he deeded to" MA-based
Woolf Associates, the firm he initially retained and then
dropped (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/14). Williams said that
some of his colleagues "find it strange" that he "would want
a rapper to represent" him. Williams: "They were saying,
'Don't do it. He's not an agent, he's a businessman.'
Master P told me to ask them how much money they made last
year. ... Master P came from nowhere and has gone to the
top. We're on the same wavelength" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER,
2/13). In Boston, Peter Gammons reported that the MLB
Rangers "wanted" Williams in spring training, but his
"attachment" to Miller "ended any possibility of him
pursuing" baseball (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/14). In N.Y., Mitch
Lawrence wrote on Miller and noted that a Lincoln Navigator
given to Clippers F Tyrone Nesby by Miller was repossessed
after Nesby dropped Miller (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/14).
TANK TALK: Agent William "Tank" Black said that "he's
innocent of charges" that he offered bribes to LSU RB coach
Mike Haywood to land DT Anthony McFarland, and that "his
competitors" are using the charges "to try to steal his
clients," according to Josh Gotthelf of the SPORTSBUSINESS
JOURNAL. NFLPA General Counsel Richard Berthelsen said, "If
[players are] under contract to Tank, and agents are calling
them and saying, 'You should fire Tank and hire me,' that is
... against the regulations" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/15).
RAY OF LIGHT? After Bucks G Ray Allen negotiated his
own six-year, $70.9M contract, "many are questioning the
necessity of hiring agents," according to Robert MacLeod of
the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL. But NBPA Dir of Communications
Dan Wasserman said that 100 of the 250 certified agents "are
active," and that "to suggest that basketball agents are a
dying breed is ridiculous." CA-based agent Bill Duffy said
that "up to" 90% of NBA players "will continue to use"
agents and it is "shortsighted" to suggest otherwise
(Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 2/16). Agent Mason Ashe said that he
has "no hard feelings" about being dropped by Allen: "I
would not say that agents are nervous about going out of
business because there is so much more to do than just the
contract. The guys who just do contracts are in trouble.
There's still the banking, the taxes, buying the homes and
budgeting" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/14).
