Seattle Seahawks coach
Pete Carroll has not been featured in national television commercials in the past, but that may be changing soon.
Carroll’s longtime agent, Premier Sports & Entertainment CEO Gary Uberstine, said after Seattle’s win in Super Bowl XLVIII that he was involved in discussions with a number of what he described as “Fortune 500 companies” about potential endorsement deals for Carroll.
“We are in discussions on the endorsement side,” Uberstine said. “I think there will be some prominent endorsements that are forthcoming.”
 |
The Seahawks’ Pete Carroll got the trophy. Now will he get the endorsement deals to go along with it?
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
|
He said he hoped to have something to announce as early as this week.
Uberstine represents Carroll for coaching contract work and co-represents him for off-the-field endeavors with WME agent and partner Keith Sarkisian.
“Pete has worked informally with WME on endorsements, entertainment projects, and the like for many years, and we anticipate formalizing that in the near term,” Uberstine said.
WME declined to comment.
Carroll is in good position to explore endorsement relationships. He is media friendly, and his Seahawks program is the talk of the football world. He has no endorsements now but sees any deals as a way to promote his charities, A Better LA and A Better Seattle, both of which battle gang violence. In addition, they could tie into his company, Win Forever, which is based on his philosophy of gaining a competitive edge through positive thinking. His book, “Win Forever,” which spells out his program for self-improvement, was published in 2010.
Most coaches don’t do a lot of endorsements, and Carroll, who was USC’s head football coach for nine years before taking the helm of the Seahawks in 2010, has shied away from them in the past, Uberstine said. “Pete has not done television commercials in the past but feels like this is an opportune time to align with a couple of like-minded companies and brands,” Uberstine said. “He is targeting really strong brands that line up with the things he stands for.”
Uberstine last week was fielding calls not only for Carroll, but also for other Seahawks clients: linebacker and Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith, and wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, who scored a touchdown in the game. Uberstine co-represents Kearse for marketing with Steve Schwartz of Seattle-based Sports Marketing Partners.
Kearse has a Subway deal in the Seattle market, and Uberstine said last week there were discussions to expand that deal.
As for Smith, Uberstine said he was in talks with memorabilia and trading card companies, as well as others. Smith did the traditional MVP post-Super Bowl “I’m Going to Disney World” commercial and an autograph and memorabilia deal with Fanatics Authentic last week.
In turning his attention to the draft, Uberstine said his company, Premier, is representing UCLA offensive lineman Xavier Su’a-Filo, North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner, San Diego State safety Nat Berhe and Utah tight end Jake Murphy. Uberstine and fellow agents Eric Kaufman and Michael Hoffman will represent the players.
> OCTAGON SIGNEES: Octagon has signed some prospective NFL rookies, including Oregon State defensive end Scott Crichton and TCU cornerback Jason Verrett. Octagon also signed Cal defensive tackle Deandre Coleman, Wyoming wide receiver Robert Herron, Virginia offensive tackle Morgan Moses and Utah State center Tyler Larsen. Octagon’s Doug Hendrickson, CJ LaBoy, Andy Ross and Ken Landphere will represent the players.
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.
