Leigh Steinberg - The Agent: My 40-Year Career Making Deals and Changing the Game

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To the joys of my life, my childrenJonathan, Matthew, and Katie and my loving brothers, James and Donald

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The process of summarizing sixty-four years of an eventful life was lengthy and arduous and could never have occurred without the skills and dedication of my gifted coauthor, Michael Arkush, who insisted on excellence and who I gave his first grey hairs. Mel Berger, my agent, cared about the quality of the work, not simply the economics, a man of principal. To our editor, Rob Kirkpatrick, who kept us on track, and his assistant, Nicole Sohl, who guided us so wonderfully from start to finish.

The only way I was able to escape the grip of crippling addiction was with an amazing support system. My extended family stuck with me through the worst of timesmy brother James literally saved my life; he is a special soul. My wonderful mother, Betty, and her giving companion, Alicia Balthazar, let me come home, when I had none. I have had the privilege of two fathers in my lifemy uncle Larry has inspired me and supported me since birth. My aunt Anita and activist aunt Eleanor and cousins like Bob, Jay, and Amy Steinberg, Richard and Joan Blumenberg, and David and Robert Hoffman have always been there. My daughter, Katie, was a constant ray of sunshine who never stopped believing and filled me with hope and optimism. My son Jon set an example of enormous courage and strength.

There is a unique fellowship that formed the key to my recovery; I can never repay my debt to this group and the higher power it introduced to my life. I have the wisest and most visionary of sponsors who calls himself a ditchdigger but quotes Shakespeare, Dwight Heitman, who has guided me through thick and thin. Bill Long, loving mentor, started me on the path. Lee Bouder helped me refocus along with Adam Copenhaver, Roger Holmes, Zach Martin, Meredith Roundtree, Mike Hanrahan, Kent Benson, Tom Overett, Chip Gendreau, Tom Lord, Shawn Mitchell, Bryan Broadbent, Brad Elligood, Curtis Waldschmidt, and countless others. Don Peters gave great insights, Barton Blinder was another font of wisdom, and Kurt Rouzanian helped me probe new depths.

My old friends stepped in and supported meGeorge Horioka, Ken Abrahamian, John Rosenbaum, Jeff Moorad, Jack Friedman, Bruce Oppenheim, Dennis Gilbert, Richard Gilliam, Megan Bennett, Scott Bogdon, Mary Mckay, and Paul Majors. Tom Van Voorst has played an unparalleled vital role as roommate and terrific friend, and our great friend Terri West.

Dr. Kristin Willeumeir has been a gifted doctor and master of multiple disciplines who helped restore hope and endless opportunity in my life. Nicole Glatman whipped my body back into shape, a surrogate daughter. Dean Erwin Chemerinsky gave me my first Law School Professorship. Alex Assante has been a great lawyer and a caring friend. Compassionate Donna Gugliotta kept me on track with the assistance of astute Robert Gastelum.

Alex Sohailli and David Braun have been super assistants and spent long nights helping with the manuscript. Amanda Gunville and Chris Koras showed me dedication and selflessness.

To Amy Stoody who showed me the meaning of unselfish love and made my soul sing. Cynthia Deatrick reignited my belief in myself and put love back in my heart in the darkest of timesa true giving force for good. Jenni Hogan is my long distance soul mate.

The future looks bright. I am blessed with a loyal friend, the next great superagent, my trusted alter ego Justin Greely. Dave Blanchard was there with optimism in tough times, and he and Scott Irwin entered my life like guardian angels. Scotts amazing wife, Marilyn, has been a great friend, as well as new partners William Dore and Andy Priest.

Troy Aikman and Earl Campbell never wavered in their support. June Jones is an extraordinary human being who has enriched my life in so many ways for so many years, my foxhole buddy to the end. Two of the most impactful people in my life have the name Warren. My deceased father lives in my heart as do his admonitions: first, treasure relationships, especially family, second, make a positive difference in the world and help people who cant help themselves, and third there is no they to fix problemsthe they is you son! Also Warren Moon, who I grew up with over the last thirty-seven years and whose strength and values and constant impact has made my life so much better! Thanks to you all.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Roughly thirty-five years ago, when I had just finished my senior year at the University of Washington, I received a letter from Leigh Steinberg introducing himself as a sports agent, mentioning that we shared a high school alma mater, Hamilton High in Los Angeles, and indicating that he would like to meet. Thus began my relationship with an extraordinary man that continues to this day.

I knew Leigh was someone special early on, that his depth of character far exceeded the title later bestowed upon him by the media as the worlds first superagent. Many sought out Leigh and he easily could have concentrated his attention elsewhere, but he so believed in me and my future that he stuck with me after I signed with the Canadian Football League, bypassing the 1978 National Football League draft. We became good friends. He became someone who I could talk to about any subject, good and bad, inside and outside of sports. We talked about life and gave each other good advice. A believer in human rights and highly conscientious himself, he stressed the value of giving back to ones own community and how he found it imperative that I, along with the rest of his clients, start charitable foundations.

He taught me that football was a stepping stone for the rest of my life. He had me network, collect business cards, and memorize names, emphasizing that the relationships I made would carry me forward once I stopped playing the game I loved. All the while, he continued to espouse the fundamental need for a charitable component to ones life work.

I helped Leigh recruit players when I was still playing because I believed in him, so much so that I worked for Leigh for four years after I retired from football. I continued to recruit players, but as head of new business development, I was also able to mentor clients. So, even with my position in Leighs agency, Leigh had me giving something back to others.

Do you know what? I am involved in a multitude of endeavors, but it is the charitable work that brings me the greatest reward. I can only hope that by example, I am passing on Leighs insight into how each of us can create a truly meaningful legacy.

Leigh is also one of the most, if not the most intelligent individual I have ever met. Needless to say, his visionary attributes and the respect he deserves and has garnered stem from this intelligence. Beyond his recognition of the need of athletes to give back to the community, he identified the need to protect athletes as the first to highlight, among other things, the dangers of concussions. A man of integrity and foresight, he also transcended and supplanted the agent stigma of the time by empowering his clients so they would not be manipulated nor taken advantage of.

I believe his extreme intelligence also weighed heavily in his success and proved the proverbial double-edged sword. For a time, I believe Leighs intelligence hindered him from combatting a problem with alcohol, not recognizing it as the disease it was and believing that he could handle it by himself. I could not, however, be more proud of Leigh, now sober for over three years after recognizing that he, in fact, needed help from experts and having undergone the rehabilitation process. I hope that my unwavering friendship, care, and support during this period helped in some small way. After all, Leigh helped show me how to overcome adversity in my life. Still, those of us fortunate enough to know Leigh knew that he would always come out on top.