Beverly Hills Sports Council has signed Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez for representation on and off the field.
Perez, an MLB All-Star both this year and last, will be represented by BHSC partner and MLB agent Rick Thurman and agent Rafa Nieves. He was formerly represented by SPS Sports Group.
“We are excited to add Salvador to our star roster and our expanding Latin division,” Thurman said in an email. “He’s already one of the best catchers in the game, both offensively and defensively, and at only 24 years of age has only scratched at the surface of his potential.”
Perez joins a growing roster of young Latino MLB players at BHSC that includes Royals pitcher Kelvin Herrera, Pittsburgh outfielder Gregory Polanco, New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli, Texas second baseman Rougned Odor and Cleveland infielder Jose Ramirez, all of whom have all joined BHSC as clients in the last two years.
> KAUFFMAN SIGNS EWING: Kauffman Sports Management Group has signed basketball hall of famer and current Charlotte Hornets associate head coach Patrick Ewing for coaching representation.
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Hall of famer Patrick Ewing is now associate head coach of the Charlotte Hornets.
Photo by: NBAE / GETTY IMAGES
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At Kauffman, Ewing will be represented by agency founder and president Steve Kauffman and managing partner Spencer Breecker. Ewing was formerly represented by CSE.
During his playing career, from 1985 until 2002, Ewing was represented by agent David Falk, but the National Basketball Players Association prohibits player agents from representing coaches and general managers. Falk last week called on the newly elected NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts to actively enforce that rule.
Falk still represents Ewing for marketing work, which is allowed under NBPA rules.
“Now that we have a high-profile lawyer [as executive director of the NBPA], it will be interesting to see if the union enforces the conflict-of-interest rule that prohibits agents from representing coaches and management people,” Falk said in a telephone interview last week.
Falk said it would have been nice to represent Ewing, whom he has known for 30 years, in his coaching career, but he said he believes and understands that it is a “direct conflict of interest” to do so. Falk said he follows the rule but that other agents don’t.
While Falk did not name names, there are player agents and/or agencies that do reportedly represent coaches as well as players.
“It’s rampant,” Falk said of the practice. “It’s not that you have to pass a rule. The rule is on the books and it has to be enforced.”
Roberts, who was elected as NBPA executive director last week in Las Vegas, told SportsBusiness Journal she would not speak on issues affecting the membership until she has time to meet with the players and get a consensus opinion (see story, below).
Falk, who now runs a boutique practice representing a few high-profile NBA players, said he has not met Roberts. “She obviously has a very strong résumé,” he said.
> NFL AGENTS FORM NEW FIRM: NFL player agents Michael Perrett and Kevin McGuire have left SportsTrust Advisors and have launched their own firm, Element Sports Group.
It was not known how many, if any, NFL players may join their firm.
SportsTrust, the firm founded by veteran NFL agent Pat Dye Jr., said in a statement: “SportsTrust’s core team, including Pat Dye Jr., Bill Johnson, Chandra Vitali, Randi Chapman and others, remains fully intact and will continue to serve its roster of more than 60 NFL clients with unparalleled competence, integrity and personal attention.”
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.
