Here are some of my ideas on how the issues can be fixed or, at minimum, improved.
College players on the payrolls of agents, financial consultants and marketers
Like the drug problems in the U.S., the question of who to go after is asked repeatedly. Clinton Portis do we punish the suppliers or the users? In football, we go after both. States like Alabama and Texas have stringent laws in place to regulate agents. However, the problem lies in the lack of an enforcing body. I once got fined by the state of Texas, which requires that agents submit copies of our contracts, for $2,500 ($10,000 before being reduced) because there was a line in my personal services contract that had font that was one size too small. This is the way Texas enforces its agent regulations. Meanwhile, guys were being paid left and right and there was nobody to investigate or police the real issues.
I would recommend that states and maybe the federal government establish stricter fines for both players and those who pay them. The NCAA should invest into a proactive enforcing body that puts boots on the ground and eyes on college campuses. When a junior star college player pulls up to practice in a new Cadillac Escalade, they might want to look into how he acquired it. Furthermore, I think the NCAA should compensate the players who provide its income, setting aside a trust for players who produce jersey sales and giving them a piece of the action. Also, pay them all a few hundred bucks per month. The money is certainly there. I believe the NCAA is building a new $60 million office building with proceeds from football and basketball.(Clinton Portis)
Players being induced, misled, and forgotten
I can't say I have much sympathy for those who let their egos make their decisions. Players are too easily lured in by marketing advances, loans and other grand promises. For example, last July, I called a father of a Big Ten player who told me his son wanted to go with Agency X. I asked what the attraction was to the agency and how he could commit so soon without talking to others. He replied that their "package was worth $200,000", that they are going to take him to the Super Bowl, and that they have more big name clients than me and other agents that had called. This player was eventually drafted in the 4th round – not the first round, as his father had been led to believe. He will be way down the priority list, behind the firm's other star clients. The firm in question obviously offered up a marketing advance, a high profile training facility and a lot of promises. These tactics don't make for sincere service, and they certainly don't guarantee results.
Agents should have to disclose to the NFLPA all loans and promises they make to college players. Most of the promises made are simply incentives to sign and add no value to the preparation or representation process. Any agents who don't disclose all loans and promises should be decertified for life.
The coach-agent conflict
The NFLPA already asks agents to disclose any relationships they have with college and NFL coaches. However, many agents and coaches work on a very informal bases, without contracts. I would put the responsibility on the college coaches to disclose their relationships with agents and risk forfeiting their retirements if caught taking benefits from agents for referrals.
HGH
I don't believe blood testing will ever be an option. It's all about education. Start educating young players in high school and college on the risk of HGH and other steroid related substances.
Concussions
When I played football from Pop Warner to college, terms like "bell ringer", "ear hole shots", and "kill shot" were good things. As we've learned more about the long-term effects of concussions, we've begun to realize that banging helmets is not an acceptable tactic. However, many of the coaches who are currently teaching players how to block and tackle were taught the wrong way, the dangerous way – to lead on blocks and tackles with your helmet. There has to be an educational and certification process for all coaches at all levels to teach the proper techniques so the chain can be broken.
NFL players making bad financial decisions
It's simple! More and more education needs to come from everybody: agents, the financial community, the NFL, NFLPA, and individual teams. The fact is that we have to stop a player from being his own worst enemies. For me, it's a constant conversation with all my clients that lasts throughout their careers and beyond. The education process should never end. I also encourage older retired players to keep preaching to the younger ones about their own mistakes.
A battered body
There should be fewer full contact practices in both college and pro football. Clinton Portis and the 49ers proved that practices focused on execution, not contact, can lead to winning games. The number of contactpractices needs to be limited for all, putting everyone on an even playing field.
Players as targets
There is no fix for this issue, but players simply have to be educated on identifying scams and unscrupulous individuals looking to take advantage of them.
