Frank Murtha interview, part II
February 22, 2011
Today we have the conclusion of our interview with Frank Murtha, who is an attorney, professor, and veteran agent. We are discussing the recruiting process for draft eligible players.
SLT- How have the so-called career counseling panels, that some schools
have had, worked over the years?
FM - It seems like in many cases players did not pay attention to them. I
have not heard anyone touting them. It may have been a good faith effort on the part of the compliance process. In some cases schools will have
something similar to a trade show where you will set your materials out for
the players on a type of agent day. Many times the only players that show up are guys that couldn’t play dead in a war movie.
SLT - Players’ decisions in ultimately deciding on an agent can run the gamut from informed decisions to, in any many cases, boneheaded decisions. What do you see happening today?
FM - You see both. Many times an adviser will do the interview for the
player and the player will do his own thing. Sometimes the player will
select someone who he had hung out with in a club or a bar, instead of someone who went through the interview process. Most of my personal surprises have been more with parents that thought they were in control and minimized contact with the player and the player doesn’t really know you. This goes back to knowing the decision maker. Also, in a few cases, there was one agent in terms of fee structure who called himself the Wal-Mart of agents and he was charging half of what other agents were charging. This agent, it turned out, ended up negotiating disastrous contracts, so the players lost out by making determinations based on fee structure, and it was an expensive mistake.
SLT- Many years ago, before the days of players training before the combine, players would attend the combine having not signed with an agent. With agents recruiting there, what was it like?
FM - In 2011 you won’t find unsigned players at the combine. A couple of
stories come to mind from years ago. Agents used to be allowed to go into
the lobby of the hotel where the players stayed at the combine. One agent
who was considered the Willy Loman of the agent business would book a hotel room at the same hotel as the players. One of his ploys was to use his first name and say he was from a city that was the location of an NFL team and invite players to his room. The players assumed he was with an NFL team. When the players got to his room they would quickly find out he was not with a team but was an agent. Another story is about a player who was highly ranked in the spring before his senior year. He was at the combine in the lobby with a lady of the evening, who was provided to the player by an agent. One of the personnel directors of an NFL team saw this and remarked, "that will be one disappointed lady come draft day". Eventually, the player got into camp as a free agent, and the Mercedes-Benz he was driving was repossessed from the training camp parking lot.
SLT - What role does the NFLPA play in the recruiting process?
FM - The NFLPA will have a meeting with the players at the combine. They
will look to get the players to sign the Group Licensing Agreement, so they
get their 35% of licensing revenue in their coffers. They may also encourage the players to try and reduce the fee their agent is charging. In terms of helping players select an agent, they may say agents A, B and C are qualified, but if one agent didn’t toe the line, they may try and have the
player eliminate that agent from his list.
SLT - Can you summarize where recruiting is today as compared to twenty
years ago?
FM - There is no diminution in the intensity of recruiting today. The recruiting methods have changed, but the intensity is the same. Even players who will be undrafted look to have someone pay for their training. They may have to shop around to find someone stupid enough to pay $10,000. for their training. In many cases, signing certain players comes down to a business decision.
SLT - Thank you, Frank, for sharing your insights with our readers.
Today we have the conclusion of our interview with Frank Murtha, who is an attorney, professor, and veteran agent. We are discussing the recruiting process for draft eligible players.
SLT- How have the so-called career counseling panels, that some schools
have had, worked over the years?
FM - It seems like in many cases players did not pay attention to them. I
have not heard anyone touting them. It may have been a good faith effort on the part of the compliance process. In some cases schools will have
something similar to a trade show where you will set your materials out for
the players on a type of agent day. Many times the only players that show up are guys that couldn’t play dead in a war movie.
SLT - Players’ decisions in ultimately deciding on an agent can run the gamut from informed decisions to, in any many cases, boneheaded decisions. What do you see happening today?
FM - You see both. Many times an adviser will do the interview for the
player and the player will do his own thing. Sometimes the player will
select someone who he had hung out with in a club or a bar, instead of someone who went through the interview process. Most of my personal surprises have been more with parents that thought they were in control and minimized contact with the player and the player doesn’t really know you. This goes back to knowing the decision maker. Also, in a few cases, there was one agent in terms of fee structure who called himself the Wal-Mart of agents and he was charging half of what other agents were charging. This agent, it turned out, ended up negotiating disastrous contracts, so the players lost out by making determinations based on fee structure, and it was an expensive mistake.
SLT- Many years ago, before the days of players training before the combine, players would attend the combine having not signed with an agent. With agents recruiting there, what was it like?
FM - In 2011 you won’t find unsigned players at the combine. A couple of
stories come to mind from years ago. Agents used to be allowed to go into
the lobby of the hotel where the players stayed at the combine. One agent
who was considered the Willy Loman of the agent business would book a hotel room at the same hotel as the players. One of his ploys was to use his first name and say he was from a city that was the location of an NFL team and invite players to his room. The players assumed he was with an NFL team. When the players got to his room they would quickly find out he was not with a team but was an agent. Another story is about a player who was highly ranked in the spring before his senior year. He was at the combine in the lobby with a lady of the evening, who was provided to the player by an agent. One of the personnel directors of an NFL team saw this and remarked, "that will be one disappointed lady come draft day". Eventually, the player got into camp as a free agent, and the Mercedes-Benz he was driving was repossessed from the training camp parking lot.
SLT - What role does the NFLPA play in the recruiting process?
FM - The NFLPA will have a meeting with the players at the combine. They
will look to get the players to sign the Group Licensing Agreement, so they
get their 35% of licensing revenue in their coffers. They may also encourage the players to try and reduce the fee their agent is charging. In terms of helping players select an agent, they may say agents A, B and C are qualified, but if one agent didn’t toe the line, they may try and have the
player eliminate that agent from his list.
SLT - Can you summarize where recruiting is today as compared to twenty
years ago?
FM - There is no diminution in the intensity of recruiting today. The recruiting methods have changed, but the intensity is the same. Even players who will be undrafted look to have someone pay for their training. They may have to shop around to find someone stupid enough to pay $10,000. for their training. In many cases, signing certain players comes down to a business decision.
SLT - Thank you, Frank, for sharing your insights with our readers.
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