Prominent NFL agent Fletcher Smith, who may be best known as agent to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, is leaving sports marketing and management firm CSMG to form his own agency, sources said.
Smith is the latest agent to depart CSMG in the last year, following baseball agents Melvin Roman and Jamie Appel, marketing agent Andrew Stroth, and NFL agent Kennard McGuire, who ran CSMG’s football practice with Smith. Neither Smith nor CSMG officials would comment.
In addition to McNabb, Smith represents about 20 NFL players, including Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Gaines Adams, Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu, and Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
Chicago-based CSMG was founded by veteran baseball agent Alan Nero in 1983, but the firm has undergone several changes in the last year since Hopewell Ventures, a private equity firm, acquired a 40 percent stake in the agency.
Brady Quinn (left) and Shaun Alexander
are among the CAA Sports clients cutting
PSAs for Declare Yourself, a nonpartisan
effort to get 18-year-olds to register and
vote.
CAA SPORTS CLIENTS GET OUT THE VOTE: CAA Sports NFL clients Shaun Alexander, Marc Bulger, Michael Huff and Brady Quinn have shot a series of 15-second and 30-second public service announcements set to air during the Fox Super Bowl pregame for Declare Yourself, a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan campaign to encourage eligible 18-year-olds to register and vote.
Declare Yourself was founded by legendary television producer Norman Lear, who is not a Creative Artists Agency client but “is a friend of CAA,” said Howard Skall, CAA Sports marketing agent. The organization “was just looking for some talent to promote what they are trying to do, which is getting young adults, especially 18-year-olds who are just eligible to vote, to make their voice heard,” Skall said.
“We got turned on to them and targeted some of our football guys, who at various times of the season, on their off day, took time out to tape a public service spot about the responsibility of getting out and voting,” said Skall, who worked on the deal with CAA football marketing agents R.J. Gonser and Mark Heligman.
McGEE LEAVES OCTAGON: Patrick McGee, who spent 19 years at Octagon and its predecessor company, Advantage International, has left to start his own sports and entertainment marketing firm, ProVentures.
McGee most recently held the title of vice president of corporate business development, but before that he was Octagon’s head of athlete marketing, and did deals for Anna Kournikova and former Octagon client Michael Vick, among others. He started his career in the sports business as a tennis agent at Advantage.
“I had a great 19 years working in different positions at Octagon,” McGee said. “But my real passion was to start my own business.”
McClean, Va.-based ProVentures will specialize in “helping companies find solutions that revolve around talent, sponsorship activation and hospitality,” McGee said.
“Primarily, my clients will be corporate clients,” McGee said, but added that he may also work with athlete clients.
“What is different about me is I have been on both sides of it,” McGee said. “I have helped corporations find the right celebrity talent. I have worked with athletes to find the right corporate partners. What I am trying to do is build on that.”
FRANCE SIGNS DRAFT PROSPECTS: NFL agent Todd France has signed Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib, Virginia guard Branden Albert and Auburn defensive tackle Pat Sims for representation. Web site NFLDraftBlitz.com ranks Talib No. 18, Sims No. 21 and Albert No. 62.
DEBARTOLO SIGNS JACKSON: DeBartolo Sports and Entertainment, the agency formed by former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, has signed Cal wide receiver DeSean Jackson for marketing and NFL contract representation. Jackson is ranked No. 19 by NFLDraftBlitz.com.
CAA SPORTS SIGNS MORE PROSPECTS: CAA Sports is poised to have a big NFL draft, signing two more high-first-round prospects in Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston and USC offensive tackle Sam Baker.
CAA Sports’ football division, headed by Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, also signed Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey, Missouri tight end Martin Rucker and North Carolina State safety DaJuan Morgan. NFLDraftBlitz.com ranks Gholston No. 6, Baker No. 12, Harvey No. 34, Rucker No. 68 and Morgan No. 94.
Notable NFL prospect signings
France Athlete Management
Enterprises
Aqib Talib, Kansas
Branden Albert, Virginia
Pat Sims, Auburn
DeBartolo Sports and
Entertainment
DeSean Jackson, California
CAA Sports
Vernon Gholston, Ohio State
Sam Baker, USC
Derrick Harvey, Florida
Martin Rucker, Missouri
DaJuan Morgan, North Carolina State
Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston was
among CAA Sports’ signees.
CORNWELL ADVISING McFADDEN: Every year, it seems, there is one NFL draft prospect whose search for representation becomes the talk of the industry. This year, that distinction goes to Arkansas running back Darren McFadden.
Not only is he arguably the most exciting prospect in the draft, but his status as a true junior has kept NFL Players Association-certified agents watching on the sideline, while an array of marketing agents have tried to woo the Heisman Trophy runner-up.
That’s thanks to the NFLPA’s new “junior rule,” which prohibits contract agents from talking to true juniors during their last college season. They were allowed to speak with and sign players who had declared for the draft starting Jan. 19. Marketing agents and financial advisers, meanwhile, have had unrestricted access to, perhaps, the most coveted player in the draft.
McFadden is now being advised by sports lawyer David Cornwell, who serves as a personal attorney for several pro athletes, including New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush. There have been reports on the Internet that McFadden has signed with NBA agent Mike Conley Sr. for marketing work, but as of early last week McFadden had not signed with a marketing agent. Conley said he had not signed McFadden, although he acknowledged there was a chance that he could do so.
Conley is one of four agents vying for McFadden’s marketing representation. The others are Mike Ornstein, Bill Henkel and Jamey Crimmins. Since early January, rumors have shot through the industry that the running back was on the verge of signing with one of the four. Each of the four agents was said to be the front-runner for McFadden’s business, depending on the day of the week.
Last week there were rumors that Cornwell would oversee a formal interview process of top NFL contract agents, but it was unclear whether that would actually occur. Meanwhile, as reported in SportsBusiness Daily, McFadden is preparing for the NFL combine at the Michael Johnson Performance Center, and Nike is picking up the tab for his training.
CORNWELL SIGNS TUCKER: Cornwell, who has a coaches practice in addition to advising athletes on legal matters, has signed coach Mel Tucker and negotiated his new deal as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns. Tucker was formerly the Browns’ defensive backs coach.
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
