In what may be one of the most obvious fits between an athlete and a company, Buccaneers rookie running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams has signed a deal to endorse cars for General Motors’ Cadillac brand in the Tampa Bay area.
Right now, the deal is a regional one for Williams, who ran for more yards in his first three games than any other NFL rookie before him. Williams was set for a photo shoot this week for Cadillac dealers in the greater Tampa Bay area, said his agent, Ben Dogra of SFX Sports.
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| Carnell “Cadillac” Williams followed his nickname to a Tampa-area endorsement deal. |
Neither Dogra nor a Cadillac official would reveal the financial terms of the deal, but Dogra said, “It’s not the typical car deal that players get. It’s on a larger magnitude and has potential for much greater upside.”
Williams will get cash out of the deal, plus a silver Cadillac XLR convertible. The XLR will join the black Cadillac Escalade that Williams bought before signing the Cadillac endorsement, Dogra said.
John Orth, Cadillac marketing manager for the southeastern U.S., said the company liked the fact that Williams was already a Cadillac owner. “You want an endorser who is not there in name only,” Orth said. “He bought his first one, so he put his own money behind it.”
Williams fits with the new image Cadillac has been trying to associate with its brand, Orth said. “At Cadillac, we have gone through a revolution. We have gone to a much younger-looking car and younger demographic.”
Dogra said that Williams got the nickname Cadillac when he was playing for Etowah High School in Attalla, Ala. The announcer during one game said Williams “runs smooth, like a Cadillac.” The name stuck with Williams through college at Auburn and now into the NFL.
Mark Heligman, an NFL player agent at SFX Football who specializes in marketing and worked with Dogra in negotiating the deal, said that it currently is for print advertising and appearances.
Williams also has endorsement deals with Nike, Athlete Web Services and memorabilia company Famous Inc. A company called Cadillac Bicycles, an official licensed product of Cadillac cars, also has provided Williams with a bicycle and is talking to his agents about a potential relationship.
OCTAGON GOES BOARDING: Octagon has acquired the business of snowboarding pioneer and agent Bob Klein as part of its push to expand its Olympics and action sports division.
Octagon officials would not reveal the financial details of the acquisition of Klein’s Lake Tahoe, Calif.-based BK Sports, but said it will add about 12 clients, mostly snowboarders, to its action sports base. Klein’s clients include 2002 Olympic halfpipe silver medalist Danny Kass, as well as snowboarders Andy Finch, Mason Aguirre, Nate Holland, Kyle Clancy and Molly Aguirre.
Octagon’s Olympics and action sports division represents about 75 athletes, including 40 action sports athletes, said Peter Carlisle, director of the division.
Only one agency, The Familie, a division of Wasserman Media Group, has more action sports clients, with 65.
Klein may be best known as the former agent for snowboarder icon Shaun Palmer, founder of Palmer Snowboards. Klein will be Octagon’s senior client manager of winter action sports.
Contact Liz Mullen at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
