NFL Agent Josh Luchs & Paying Players

I am sure most people have heard about former NFL Agent Josh Luch’s tell all story about paying many players as part of his recruitment process. You can find the story at http://tinyurl.com/27wkr98 . Luch speaks about many former and current NFL players who took money throughout their collegiate careers. The thing that is interesting about this story is the timing of this confession. It only occurred after he was no longer involved in the NFL agent lifestyle. Is that coincidence? I don’t think so…I think he exposed the scandal for his own selfish motives. Could it be he wanted to clear his name about the commission check he took from Keenan Howry?

Although, I have to commend Luchs for deciding to tell the story because there are still many agents that refuse to take responsibility for what they have done. I do understand the reasons many of these young football players took the money. Many come from impoverished families and sacrifice to play for these universities. However, I do not agree with the fact that they took money or special treatment as it is against the rules. They signed letters of intent that they would represent their universities and themselves with respect as well as abide by the NCAA rules. When a young athlete sells out for pot of gold they are saying that is all my integrity is worth. The bible says in proverbs 22:1, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”

Whatever you sell out for is what will have the ability to control you. The sad part is most of these athletes do not think about these implications until they realize how much their reputation will follow them. They will be constantly reminded of their poor judgement when they are being interviewed by NFL evaluators. This reminds me of a story where I work for a company that has a policy of not accepting gifts from vendors. A particular vendor was not receiving as much business from us as usual and they were concerned. Their remedy to persuade me to use their services in the particular region I am responsible for was to send me a gift. They sent me a large gift certificate for a very expensive steak house. My first thought was to call my wife and tell her we were going on a date. Don’t give me that look…You were thinking the same thing. But I thought about the risk of doing something questionable that would ruin my reputation.

I told my wife and she recommended I tell my boss first to make sure it would not conflict with company policy. She always keeps me balanced even when I do not want to here what she has to say. I love that woman. My boss told me that was against company policy and suggested I return it to the vendor. My pastor told me “Anything you take that compromises your integrity will put a price on your integrity.” Many of these athletes know the rules and if they were unclear about a situation they should have asked their coaches or their compliance directors at their universities.

Many of these agents are complete snakes with nothing but dollar signs on their minds. They think of these athletes as an investment that they hope pay a huge return. My advise to athletes that are being contacted by agents is to seek counsel from trusted advisors. Someone said, “ Never envy a man more than you study him.” What is the character or reputation of that Agent? Is he breaking the rules? I was fortunate to have experienced some great agents during my football career. Rich & Mike O’brien as well as David Wyatt really care about the development of their athletes off an on the field. Please leave a comment to let me know your thoughts. Thanks.