I
Pago 14
Dally Nebraskan
Wednesday, December 12, 1934
By Brent Cobb
Daily Nebnwkan EttfTEeporter
"When they smile, blood drips
off their teeth, " Ted Turner,
Atlanta Braves owner on agents.
Perhaps Ted Turner over
stated things a bit. But the
fact is, professional agents
dont have the best of reputa
tions. Not with the men they deal
with, nor with the college coaches
who have to battle with them for
the attention of their athletes.
After Mike Rozier admitted
signing with an agent before the
start of his Heisman Trophy-winning
season at Nebraska, the
rumors and misgivings about pro
fessional agents began in earnest.
The subject drew the ire of edi
torial writers who attacked Roz
ier and the agents. It gave the
Mazda Sport Look (ESPN talk
show) a popular subject for sev
eral weeks, with coaches like Jim
Valvano of North Carolina State
airing his negativism and agents
defending their work and way of
life.
Robert H. Ruxin, a Washington
attorney specializing in commun
ications and sports law, has writ
ten a book exploring the issues
and problems with sports agents.
As its title suggests, "An Ath
letes Guide to Agents" is more for
the potential target of the agents,
the athlete himself Ruxin points
out that a good agent can help an
athlete attain financial and men
tal stability during and after his
career. An imcompetent or dis
honest agent can ruin an athlete's
playing career and threaten his
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financial security for years after
ward. According to Ruxin, the agent's
basic function in sports lies some
where between offering advice or
help in negotiating a contract to
overseeing the athlete's financial
affairs.
The potential for increasingly
larger salaries in sports and the
athlete's increased power in bar
gaining has brought about the
need for agents who can capital
ize on larger financial gains.
NCAA rules governing amateur
ism forbids an athlete to agree,
either orally or in writing, to be
represented by an agent or organ
ization in the marketing of his
athletic ability or reputation until
after the completion of his last
intercollegiate contest, including
post-season games. The rules also
forbid an athlete from
accepting expenses or gifts of jany
kind (including meals and trans
portation) from an agent who
wishes to provide services to the
athlete. The NCAA allows an ath
lete to talk to an agent, providing
he neither agrees to be repres
ented nor accepts anything of
any value from the agent.
In an interview with UPI, Lin
coln Star, Oct. 30, Leigh Stein
berg, an agent-lawyer repr esent
ing Steve Young who received an
estimated $40-million contract
with the USFL's Los Angeles
Express, said at least 600 new
agents have emerged in the past
two years. This increase is respon
sible for an increase of competi
tion inong agents earlier in the
season.
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"At least one-third of the top
athletes in college football and
basketball axe signing early every
year," Steinberg estimates.
The USFL's draft in early
January, he said, puts the pres
sure on the athlete who may be
legally ineligible to sign with an
agent until just days earlier.
Steinberg said he thinks a re
e valuation of the NCAA scholar
ship regulations might ease some
of the financial burdens of the
student athlete, especially those
in the lower class who cant work
during the season and have to
rely on scholarship money.
Steinberg said he thinks the extra
$100 a month that some of the
agents offer would then become
less attractive to the student
athlete.
Once the athlete has a good
understanding of NCAA rules and
Ccnttoed from Pags 13
Riggins made a recruiting trip
to Omaha to visit Ivy and her
family. On Central's prom night,
Riggins came to the Ivy's home
and spoke briefly with Maurtice,
who was on her way to the dance.
Upon returning home, Ivy learned
that Riggins had stayed at her
house and talked to her parents
until L30 am.
"I was shocked," Ivy said.
Riggins said Ivy possessed pure
athletic skill and would have fit
into the San Diego offense per-
regulations, he should find an
agent.
That really isnt much of a prob
lem. Ruxin writes that in George
Roger's Heisman year at South
Carolina, about 300 agents tried
to represent him.
Jim McFarland, a Lincoln
attorney and former UNL foot
ball player, said the ideal agent
has skills in several different areas
and has an honest approach.
McFarland said agents should
understand the steps to becom
ing a professional athlete, so they
can advise clients of possible
problems and changes. The agent
also should tell athletes which
team or coach they would be
most successful with.
Agents also should have nego
tiating skills - not necessarily to
get the most money possible, but
to know when to be hard-nosed
or accomodating. According to
fectly.
"We run a fast break offense
here," Riggins said. "We like to
have our guards push the ball up
the floor. I think Maurtice would
have fit right into our game plan."
Riggins, who coached Powell at
Lincoln High in East St. Louis,
noted Ivy's track skills, particu
larly in the sprint events, as an
asset to her basketball skills.
"In our program, we try to take
outstanding athletes and make
them into great basketball play
ers," Riggins said. "She has all of
the attributes of a great basket
McFarland, many athletes are
competitive by nature and want
the agent who has the reputation
for being hard-nosed. But that
also can be a disadvantage if
agents are so stubborn that they
refuse all lesser offers. An athlete
may then be forced to sit out for
some length of time, disrupting their
relationship with the other play
ers, the coaching staff and possibly
jeopardising their reputation and
athletic career.
Many agents also offer invest
ment counseling services. Some
athletes consider agents who offer
investment counseling an added
bonus, even though some athletes
have been taken advantage of.
For example, an agent might offer
the athlete a low rate of represen
tation, then take a big percentage
of the athlete'3 investment profits.
Continued on Paa 15
ball player."
Hill agrees.
"Maurtice has all the physical
tools," Hill said. "She just needs to
be patient with the injury. We
recruited her as one of the best
high school players in the nation,
so I cant see why she cant become
one of the tcp collegiate players."
Ivy said that despite the early
setback, she will help make Ne
braska's program a winner.
"IVe been training real hard to
get my leg back into shape," Ivy
said. "I'm yoing to come back and
come bacK strong."