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Labor and Agents

NFL Agent Leigh Steinberg Discusses Return To Practice, Signing Of Top QB Prospect

NFL player agent Leigh Steinberg, who recently signed highly touted Univ. of Memphis QB Paxton Lynch as a client, was "once the most powerful agent in the NFL" before he "lost his business and declared bankruptcy after finally submitting to treatment for alcoholism" in '10, according to Jenny Vrentas of THE MMQB. But Steinberg has now returned, and said of signing Lynch, "I would never try to compete with my younger self. That’s not the goal. I’m not sure that anybody will ever represent the first pick in the draft eight times again. ... The goal is to find a much smaller number of quality athletes and try to make a difference in their life and help them fulfill their dreams." He added, "In my own mind, the 'comeback' was being able to be six years sober, being a good father to my kids." Steinberg said his agency, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, now has eight clients, as this "was our first big year of recruiting." Steinberg said his goal is "not just represent the athletes, it’s to work on issues" like concussions, domestic violence and bullying. He also said he wants to be "involved with sports-themed motion pictures." Steinberg previously worked with movies like "Jerry Maguire" and "Any Given Sunday." Steinberg said of his return to the agent industry, "It’s a sad thing that agents are so hypercompetitive, because they really have a commonality of interest. ... But it is a tough business in that I’m not sure under (anesthesia), you could get a top agent to say something nice about another one. ... Instead of pushing your own merits, people try to win by running down another person. We never presented that way. But it’s so inherent in it; it has always been part of it" (MMQB.SI.com, 2/19).

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