Drew Rosenhaus

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Drew Rosenhaus (born 1965) is among the best known American football sports agents. He owns the Miami-based sports agency, Rosenhaus Sports, and is known for aggressive representation of his NFL clients, often generating highly lucrative contracts for them, and recommending that they hold out from practicing or playing when his contractual terms are not met by NFL owners. His approach to player representation has been sometimes controversial, and is a source of great debate in NFL circles.

Rosenhaus currently represents over 90 NFL players, many of them NFL superstars, including Plaxico Burress, Chad Johnson, Willis McGahee, Santana Moss, Terrell Owens, Warren Sapp, Jeremy Shockey, Sean Taylor, Zach Thomas,and others.[1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] University of Miami

Drew Rosenhaus is a 1984 graduate of Jewish High School of South Florida (now Hillel Community Jewish High School) in North Miami Beach, Florida. He then attended and graduated in 1987 from the University of Miami and, in 1990, obtained a law degree from Duke University School of Law. Drew draws heavily on his college connections, sixteen of Rosenhaus' 90 NFL clients are fellow University of Miami alumni.

[edit] Advocating holdouts and other aggressive tactics

Rosenhaus is famously known both for his aggressive and sometimes risky approaches to the representation of his NFL clients, and also for often generating unpredictably large contracts for them. He represents some of the best-known and most flamboyant personalities in professional football. Early in his career he convinced NFL GM to allow cameras to document negotiations.

Rosenhaus clients often "hold out", willfully failing to appear for pre-season training camp and workout sessions, when their respective teams refuse to concede to Rosenhaus' demands for contract renegotiation. Opponents of such tactics hold that such players are failing to live up to legally binding contracts that were previously negotiated in good faith. Rosenhaus, on the other hand, contends that the teams' ability to cut players when they under-perform gives them a distinct advantage over players and that players must demand fair compensation when they exceed expectations. Backing up Rosenhaus' position that he is motivated by his clients' job security and long-term career success, Rosenhaus once renegotiated the contract of his client Nate Webster with the Cincinnati Bengals to a lower level of compensation in an effort to prevent his client from getting cut. On the other hand, Rosenhaus' tactics, at times, create rifts between his client and his teammates, which arguably damages the client's chances for continued success with that team.

Due to his aggressive dealings, some of Rosenhaus' competitors claim Rosenhaus sometimes violates NFL Player's Association (NFLPA) rules by illegally contacting clients signed with other agents. Rosenhaus and his clients deny this charge. His competitors also claim that Rosenhaus uses players to vigorously recruit other NFL players and prospects, which, if true, also would represent a violation of NFLPA policies. According to the NFLPA, however, there have been no formal findings of violations of their policies by Rosenhaus, though Rosenhaus' approaches to client representation are considered some of the most controversial in professional football.[2]

[edit] 2003: Representation of Willis McGahee

One prominent example of Rosenhaus' success as an agent was his representation of former University of Miami star running back Willis McGahee, who, in January 2003, suffered a disastrous, potentially career-ending knee injury in his final college game (the Fiesta Bowl, which was the national championship game that year (Miami lost to Ohio State in overtime)) and, one month after the injury, signed with Rosenhaus with the goal of obtaining an NFL contract.

Rosenhaus predicted that, under his representation, McGahee would be a first-round NFL draft pick in the 2003 NFL draft. A seemingly arrogant prediction at the time, Rosenhaus also offered to waive his standard three-percent commission and work for free if McGahee failed to be drafted in the first round. During the Draft, cameras would cut to live shots of McGahee and Rosenhaus talking on their cellular phones, giving the impression that they were communicating with teams interested in drafting McGahee. Surprising to many, the Buffalo Bills picked McGahee in the first round as the 23rd overall choice in the draft. This was despite the fact that McGahee, still suffering from a devastating knee injury, started his career with the Bills not only unable to play, but barely able to walk. After successful reconstructive surgery and intensive rehabilitation, McGahee signed a five-year contract with the Bills worth about $16 million.[3] After sitting out and rehabbing during the 2003 NFL season, McGahee is currently one of the NFL's most promising young running backs. Although many General Managers don't like his flamboyant nature, it can be argued his go getting attitude has made him one of the best agents in sports today.

[edit] July 2005: Saving a life in Orlando

While Rosenhaus is unpopular in some corners for his confrontational negotiation on behalf of his NFL clients, he received very positive national attention on July 19, 2005, when he saved the life of a four-year-old boy, Maurice Hill. Hill had no pulse and had essentially drowned in the pool at the Grand Floridian Hotel in Orlando. Rosenhaus, a former lifeguard, dove into the pool, pulled Hill out of the pool and administered CPR until paramedics arrived and restored the youngster's breathing.[4]

Rosenhaus was credited with saving the young boys life. Regarding the event, Rosenhaus joked that he "put down his phone" for a change. "I was thrilled to help the boy. It was nice to be a good guy for once," Rosenhaus said.

[edit] 2005-2006: The Terrell Owens affair

On November 2, 2005, Rosenhaus client Terrell Owens' relationship with the Eagles deteriorated further after Owens reportedly was involved in a physical altercation with former Eagles player and current Eagles fan "ambassador" Hugh Douglas, just a day following Owens' public criticism of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in an interview with ESPN. Eagles coach Andy Reid privately demanded that Owens apologize to the team and to McNabb. Owens only partly fulfilled the request, however, issuing a brief public apology and failing to mention McNabb by name. Rosenhaus was subsequently asked by the Eagles to intervene with Owens in an effort to resolve the tensions between Owens and the team.

What efforts Rosenhaus exerted remain unknown, but they were unsuccessful. On November 5, 2005, a day before the team's conference game against the Washington Redskins, the Eagles announced that they were suspending Owens indefinitely from the team. The day following the game, on November 7, the Eagles announced that Owens would remain suspended and ultimately would be released from the team. Owens promptly filed a complaint against the Eagles with the NFLPA.

On November 8, with Rosenhaus at his side, Owens issued an apology from the front lawn of his Moorestown, New Jersey home to Philadelphia fans, fellow players and the Eagles organization, expressing his desire to immediately return with the team. "There are players in the NFL that are arrested who violate the program when it comes to drugs and substance abuse and they are not punished as severely as him," Rosenhaus said.

Philadelphia media were generally highly critical of Rosenhaus' handling of the Owens' affair. Owens only read a short prepared statement, after which Rosenhaus dominated the podium and refused to answer most questions. One Philadelphia journalist asked Rosenhaus pointedly during the Owens press conference, "What have you done for T.O., besides get him kicked off the Eagles?" The question drew a subtle smirk from Owens and Rosenhaus responded only by asking for the "next question."

Despite the apology, the Eagles stated that they had no intention of permitting Owens to return to the team. They stated that had he done this before the game, they might have allowed him to return. They then reinforced that he would remain deactivated for the rest of the 2005 season, after being suspended for 4 games, the maximum a team can suspend a player for, after which the Eagles released him permanently. His future after the Eagles quickly became one of the largest sports stories of the year.

On November 18, 2005, Rosenhaus again returned to Philadelphia to represent Owens at a marathon 14-hour arbitration hearing on Owens' suspension. The hearing, which was closed to the public, also was attended by Reid and other Eagles officials, who continued to defend their decision to suspend Owens. Rosenhaus demanded the immediate reinstatement of the wide receiver, but the arbitrator found the Eagles were justified in suspending him for four games and that they do not have to allow him back after the suspension.

[edit] Owens released by Philadelphia, signed by Dallas

The Owens affair was complicated further, however, when several prominent Eagles players stated publicly that they would welcome Owens' return. In January, 2006, Rosenhaus announced that he had received permission from the Eagles to pursue a new NFL affiliation for Owens in the 2006 season. On March 14, 2006, the Eagles released Owens, hours before he would be due a $5 million roster bonus. The Eagles announced his release in a one-sentence statement, and team officials said they would have no further comment. Had Owens not been cut by the Eagles, he was due to earn base salaries of $770,000 plus $7.5 million in bonuses in 2006, $5.5 million in 2007, $6.5 million in 2008, $7.5 million in 2009 and $8.5 million in 2010.

Owens was signed by the Dallas Cowboys on March 18, 2006. Media reports indicated that Owens' contract with the Cowboys was for three years and $25 million.

On Christmas Day, 2006, as a follow-up to the Owens saga with the Eagles, Rosenhaus joined Owens in Dallas at a post-game press conference, following the Cowboys' 23-7 loss to the Eagles (their second loss to the Eagles in the 2006 season). In the game, the Eagles defense shut down Owens, allowing him only two catches. Leading up to both Eagles-Cowboys game, there was much speculation that the Eagles' desire for vengeance against Owens would overshadow the game itself. In the end, however, Owens proved mostly a non-factor in both games. Following the Christmas Day loss, Owens complained, with Rosenhaus at his side, that the Cowboys had not sufficiently involved him in the game.

[edit] In the public eye

In a profession known for generally operating behind the scenes, Rosenhaus is distinguished among his peers for his many prominent public appearances:

Books:

Rosenhaus's autobiography, A Shark Never Sleeps: Wheeling and Dealing with the NFL's Most Ruthless Agent was published in 1998.

Movies:

Rosenhaus was the inspiration behind the character "Bob Sugar", the cutthroat agent played by Jay Mohr in the popular 1996 movie Jerry Maguire.[5]. Rosenhaus also made a cameo appearance in the film, playing himself.

Rosenhaus also appeared in another movie about professional football, Any Given Sunday, released in 1999.

TV:

Rosenhaus appeared as himself on Arli$$, a comedy about a sports agent.

Rosenhaus appeared as a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman in the weeks preceeding Owens' suspension from the Eagles.

Burger King parody:

In 2006, Rosenhaus was in a television commercial for Burger King, in which he appears as an agent for the burger chain's mascot, The King. The commercial was a parody of the Terrell Owens public apology in November 2005. When reporters ask questions regarding the size of The King's head and other questions, Rosenhaus responds repeatedly with the line he used in the Owens press conference: "Next question." [6]

[edit] NFL clients

Some of Rosenhaus' NFL clients include:

[edit] Trivia

  • Rosenhaus earned a Black Belt in Taekwondo by the age of 16.
  • Rosenhaus is nicknamed "The Shark" for his aggressive representation of NFL players, and he used the title in his 1998 autobiography, A Shark Never Sleeps.
  • Rosenhaus pops up periodically on ESPN football coverage as part of Chris Berman's nickname for Houston Texans backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who Berman kiddingly calls Sage "Drew" Rosenfels, in a reference to Rosenhaus.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Offseason notebook: The truth about Drew. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on August 5, 2005.
  2. ^ Rosenhaus' success draws cries of foul play. ESPN. Retrieved on June 7, 2005.
  3. ^ McGahee deal sparked Rosenhaus' ascension. ESPN. Retrieved on June 7, 2005.
  4. ^ Rosenhaus saves drowning boy at Disney World. MSNBC. Retrieved on November 6, 2005.
  5. ^ Rosenhaus: Here to stay. ESPN. Retrieved on June 7, 2005.
  6. ^ "Drew Rosenhaus enjoying his 15 minutes". Ad Week.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../d/r/e/Drew_Rosenhaus_cd95.html"