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Marketing agent helping Super Bowl hero grab some offers

New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler has hired Lundy Marketing Group to help handle the flood of endorsement and speaking offers that have followed his game-winning interception in the Super Bowl.

Butler, a free agent rookie whose interception with 20 seconds to go made him a Super Bowl hero, is represented on the field by agent Derek Simpson but did not have a marketing agent, so Simpson reached out to Larry Lundy, president and founder of LMG.

“It happened right after the Super Bowl when he was overwhelmed with requests and overwhelmed with opportunities,” said Lundy, who earlier in his career was director of sports marketing for Walt Disney World and therefore knows something about Super Bowl heroes. (Butler and Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman made a “We’re going to Disneyland” appearance the day after the game.)

When Butler got an invitation to appear at the Grammys through the NFL Players Association, Lundy met him at the airport in Los Angeles, helped him buy a suit for the show, and gave him some media training for the event. Butler appeared on stage with Edelman and actor Josh Duhamel and “intercepted” the envelope containing the winner of best rock album.

Since then, Lundy has been fielding offers for endorsements and licensing

Butler (top right) presented at the Grammys after sealing a Super Bowl victory.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES (2)
deals, as well as appearance requests. As of last week, the only deal that Butler had signed was an autograph and memorabilia deal with Fanatics Authentic, which Simpson negotiated, but Lundy says more deals are on the way.

Lundy is in discussions with shoe companies as well as retail companies and consumer packaged goods companies about potential deals. “There are multiple requests, daily,” Lundy said.

Lundy said companies are interested in Butler because he is “a great American story of an unlikely hero, from nowhere.”

Lundy formed LMG in 2002 and represents properties, brands and personalities. He is independent, which is something that appealed to Simpson.

Simpson was certified by the NFLPA in 2010 and has represented other football players, but they were all cut in NFL training camps. Butler was his first client to make an NFL roster.

“I am just like Jerry Maguire,” said Simpson, a Huntsville, Ala., attorney. “I have one client and his name is Malcolm Butler.”

Simpson met Butler through an acquaintance when Butler was training for the 2014 draft. Simpson got Butler, who played at West Alabama, a chance to work out for NFL scouts at the University of Alabama pro day. But Butler bombed, running a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, too slow for a cornerback. “He was nervous,” Simpson said.

Patriots cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer gave Butler a tryout, and he ran a 4.4. After Butler went undrafted, the Patriots signed him. As an undrafted free agent, Butler will be eligible for a renegotiation after his second season under the collective-bargaining agreement.

Simpson wants Butler to be able to capitalize on his moment, both on and off the field. “He is such an incredible person and deserves everything that is coming to him,” Simpson said. “He is crazy, crazy nice and so humble.”

> ROSENHAUS RE-SIGNS HILTON: Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has returned to Rosenhaus Sports as a client for representation both on and off the field.

Agency founder Drew Rosenhaus and agent Jason Katz will represent Hilton, who will be a free agent after this season, for contract work.

KCB Sports Marketing, the marketing arm of Rosenhaus Sports, will represent him for off-the-field endeavors. KCB agents and wife and husband Bari Wolfman and Scott Wolfman will represent him.

Hilton was represented on the field by Erik Burkhardt of Select Sports Group.

It was widely reported that Hilton was represented off the field by LeBron James’ marketing agent, Maverick Carter, of LRMR Management. Although Carter is close with Select Sports Group and helped informally with Hilton’s management, Hilton was never officially a client of the firm, an LRMR spokesman confirmed.

> IMG SIGNS GOLFER: IMG has signed LPGA golfer Anna Nordqvist, ranked No. 13 in the world, for representation. Jay Burton, IMG Golf senior vice president, who heads the agency’s women’s golfer representation practice, will represent her. Nordqvist was formerly represented by Lagardère Unlimited.

Nordqvist, a native of Sweden, played college golf at Arizona State and won the LPGA Championship in 2009. She has deals with TaylorMade Adidas and Rolex.

> ATHLETES FIRST HIRE: Athletes First has hired Kyle McCarthy, a former client who played safety for the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, as an associate who plans to become a certified agent.

McCarthy most recently was a defensive graduate assistant coach at Notre Dame but left that position to take the job at Newport Beach, Calif.-based Athletes First. As has been reported, McCarthy was diagnosed with testicular cancer last year but is now cancer-free.

McCarthy, a former Notre Dame football captain, is studying to get an MBA after which he plans to take the NFLPA certification test. The union requires agents to have a law degree or postgraduate degree.

“We were not actually looking to hire a new employee or a new agent, but when the opportunity came up and Kyle approached me about wanting to become an agent, it was just a very unique opportunity to get someone who is a real leader,” Athletes First President Brian Murphy said. Murphy represented McCarthy in his NFL career.

McCarthy just started his new job but said last week that he is looking forward to learning the agent business. “I think I could represent both players and coaches,” McCarthy said. “I have the utmost respect for players and what they can do, but also have respect for the coaching profession.”

Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.

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