L
eading into this April’s NFL draft, not a lot of companies were willing to take a chance to endorse
James Conner, the running back from the University of Pittsburgh who overcame Hodgkin lymphoma.
“A lot of companies want to work the top picks, and James’ status was a bit uncertain,” said Nima Zarrabi, vice president of marketing for Rep 1 Sports, which represents Conner. “We didn’t know if he was going to go in round 2, round 3, round 4 — it could’ve even been later. A lot of teams told us he was a top back, but they wanted to weigh the risk of him potentially getting ill again.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers share a practice facility with the University of Pittsburgh, so their scouts and coaches were familiar with Conner. The NFL club took him in the third round with the 105th pick.
Though most companies were taking a wait-and-see attitude with Conner before the draft, there was one exception. “Adidas was extremely aggressive in bringing James Conner into the Adidas family,” Zarrabi said.
Nike was also interested in Conner, but Kristopher Boltin, Adidas director of NFL sports marketing, made signing Conner a priority, Zarrabi said. “They saw him as more than a football player,” he said. He wouldn’t give details, but said Adidas signed him to a multiyear deal with compensation well above a typical third-round pick.
“We’ve been getting calls on him ever since he’s been drafted” after a moving ESPN profile on Conner and how he has inspired others, Zarrabi said. The piece ran during draft coverage.
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Conner, at the NFL combine in March, returned from cancer.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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Even more companies are interested in Conner now after ESPN reported that he was No. 2 on Dick’s Sporting Goods’ jersey report late last month, just behind Super Bowl MVP and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Last week, Dick’s had Conner surpassing Brady, reporting Conner’s shirt was the No. 1-selling jersey in its stores in the last 30 days.
Conner’s rise on the list is unusual but not unheard of. Early fan excitement in past years has driven sales of the jerseys of other rookies, including quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Dak Prescott, said Maureen Lawrence, Dick’s community marketing manager. Conner’s place on the list is based on sales of his jersey at stores in the Pittsburgh area and the chain’s website.
In 2014, Conner was named ACC Player of the Year, following in the footsteps of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Conner was seen as a top-10 NFL draft pick until he received the cancer diagnosis.
In addition to Adidas, Conner signed traditional trading card and memorabilia deals with Total Sports Enterprises and trading card companies Panini, Leaf and Sage, as well as deals in the Pittsburgh area with PLB Sports, Giant Eagle Grocery Stores and Bowser Automotive. Since the jersey rankings became public, a variety of companies, including health and wellness companies, are interested in signing Conner to endorsement deals. But the running back wants to take it slow.
“He hasn’t played a down for the Steelers yet,” Zarrabi said. “He wants to come in there with a very low profile and earn the respect of his teammates and coaches by working hard.”
> FOX SIGNS LAWSON: Fox Sports Management has signed free agent point guard Ty Lawson for representation on and off the court.
Larry Fox, owner of the New York-based firm, will represent Lawson. He was formerly represented by Roc Nation Sports.
Lawson, the No. 19 pick in the 2009 draft, played for the Sacramento Kings last year. Fox is talking to a number of teams, including teams in China, about a deal for him.
Fox is also helping Lawson with a footwear company that he launched last year called SLKRS. “It’s a combination of slippers and sneakers,” Fox said. “He’s a very savvy entrepreneurial businessman.”
Fox is helping Lawson with marketing and distribution channels for the footwear, meant to be comfortable and practical.
Fox has been an NBA agent for 25 years and has represented 25 players in the league.
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.
