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Labor and Agents

Levy adds former Lions executive as coaches practice grows

Brian Levy started out as an NFL agent, but he has slowly and quietly built a big business representing football coaches.

Levy, founder and CEO of Goal Line Football, represents 80 NFL and college coaches, including the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, Vanderbilt University’s Derek Mason and East Carolina University’s Scottie Montgomery.

Last month, Levy hired Cedric Saunders, who has spent 17 years working in all aspects of the NFL, as Goal Line’s first vice president of football operations. Saunders has worked for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and, for the past 10 years, the Detroit Lions.

Levy
Saunders
In Detroit, Saunders was senior vice president and head of football operations, working closely with the team’s general manager. Saunders was let go in January, as part of the shake-up that also cost general manager Martin Mayhew and President Tom Lewand their jobs.

Saunders said he is excited to begin work as an agent and thinks his NFL experience will bring a different perspective to Levy’s company.

“It’s kind of a deal where he hasn’t been behind the wall, and I have,” Saunders said. “So I know what’s going on in the other side of the football business from an organization standpoint. And he knows what is going on from the agent standpoint. And that is where I think our relationship will really jell and mesh.”

“He hasn’t been behind the wall and I have. So I know what’s going on in the other side of the football business from an organization standpoint. And he knows what is going on from the agent standpoint.

CEDRIC SAUNDERS
New Goal Line Football hire,
on his relationship with
CEO Brian Levy

Levy and Saunders are longtime friends, and Levy has represented Saunders as a client.

“I love Brian,” Saunders said. “He is a great guy. He is a direct guy, a straight shooter, and I have always trusted him.”

Levy began representing NFL players in 1990 and started representing coaches in 2002. “A lot of my players started to become coaches, like Vance Joseph, who is the defensive coordinator of the Dolphins now,” Levy said.

For many years coaches, who are often viewed and view themselves as management, didn’t want to be represented by an agent. That has changed, and the business of representing coaches has picked up drastically in the last five to 10 years.

Levy’s coaching business has surged in the last two years. He has signed 50 coaching clients — including position coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators and head coaches — during that period.

Levy said all of his new business has come through word of mouth. “The coaching community is a very tight-knit community,” he said. “Every one of my clients has come to me on referral. That makes me extremely happy, knowing I am doing great work for my guys.”

Levy’s coaching business is now larger than his player practice. Levy represents 15 players in the league, including New England Patriots safety Duron Harmon.

> CAA SIGNS SARAH SPAIN: Creative Artists Agency has signed ESPN broadcaster Sarah Spain for representation in all areas.

A team of agents across CAA will represent Spain. She was formerly represented by Game Plan.

Spain contributes to several programs across ESPN, including “SportsCenter,” “His & Hers,” “The Dan LeBatard Show” and “Mike & Mike,” and she is a panelist on “Around the Horn.” She is also the new co-host of ESPN’s nightly radio show “Izzy and Spain,” along with Israel Gutierrez, who is also represented by CAA.

> OCTAGON SIGNS HALE: Octagon has signed Chip Hale, former manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who was let go last week along with general manager Dave Stewart.

Octagon Baseball Managing Director Alan Nero is representing Hale.

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

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