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THE MOTTLEY CREW REVIEW
www.MottleyLawFirm.com | (804) 823-2011
MY TIME AS AN AGENT FOR NFL PLAYERS
AND HOW I BLEW $27 , 000
agreement, and sitting for a three-hour test. That whole process alone cost me $5,000. After passing the exam, I learned that every year, agents are required to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Each of those trips probably cost me another $5,000 a pop. Then there were the annual NFLPA dues of $1,215. And then came the NFLPA’s new requirement that all agents must purchase liability insurance. Boy was that a scam. Only one company offered a policy approved by the players’ union, and its annual premium, $1,400, was higher than the professional liability insurance I was already carrying for my entire law firm. So, the annual tab to be an NFL agent was about $7,615 in addition to the $5,000 it cost to become an agent in the first place. How much did I earn from being an agent? Nothing — $0.00. Although I represented several players who had a shot at making an NFL roster, none of them ever made it. Agents have three years to sign a player to an NFL roster or they’re out. Doing the math, over three years, I spent roughly $27,845 for the experience. Did I get anything out of the experience? Well, yes. I had fun. I met some good contacts. At the Scouting Combines I attended, I got to rub elbows with people like Jerry Jones and Bill Parcell. I once shared a limo with Norv
an agent for NFL players. Years ago, I had several occasions to represent professional athletes. There is no need to identify them here, but you’d recognize them. Representing those guys was a lot of fun and introduced me to other professionals who represent athletes on a more regular basis, including their agents. One of those guys was a lawyer who represented numerous professional athletes in their personal business endeavors outside the sports arena. He and I became friends, and he encouraged me to consider becoming an agent in either the NFL or the NBA. And that’s when the seed was planted.
In several issues of “The Mottley Crew Review,” including last month’s edition, I wrote about setting goals. I even offered my own personal tips (stolen from other people) about how to set and pursue them. One of the topics that always comes up in any discussion of goals is failure . I believe failure is part of the process when you’re pursuing anything worth pursuing.
When I formed my own firm, I decided, “What the heck? Let’s give it a try. It will be fun, and I love sports!” I did some due diligence. I sought out former Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Seth Greenberg, now a familiar face on ESPN. I got to know Seth when he was Tech’s coach. I called him and told him what I was thinking about doing, and one summer day, we had lunch at Mike’s Grill in Blacksburg. Seth looked at me and said,
“That’s a really stupid idea. It’s a very dirty business. Don’t do it!” Well, I ignored Seth’s advice. It probably wasn’t what I wanted to hear. So, shortly after starting The Mottley Law Firm, I signed up to be an agent in the NFL. This involved studying the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, going to a hotel in Georgetown, sitting through a two-day cram session on the collective bargaining
When I think about failure, I think of the times I’ve crashed and burned. Let me tell you about one of these times. With all the Super Bowl hype at this time of year, my mind goes back to my days as
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... CONTINUED FROM COVER Turner. As a Redskins fan, it was fun to talk football with him, without interruption, for 30 minutes. (If you’re an NFL fan, going to the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis is a great place to hang out with all the coaches and front- office people.) And I know all the good restaurants and bars in Indianapolis. But that’s about it. The most important thing about failures is to learn something from them, and those lessons are the most valuable items I got from the experience. First, being an NFL fan and being an NFL agent are two separate things. I enjoy being a fan. I did not enjoy being an agent. So, I learned to better align what I do with my time and money with what I really want. Second, don’t be naïve. For me to have succeeded as an agent, I would have had to make sacrifices that would have affected other people. It’s not a business for married people with children. You cannot succeed without traveling — you will not be home very much. And there is a ton of competition. As with most vocations, the top 10% of the agents represent about 75% of the players. By its very nature, there aren’t many players to represent. It is hypercompetitive. Having said all that, I am glad I did it. I tried something crazy, I learned a lot about something completely new to me, and I took a risk.
2020 is a special year for an assortment of reasons, one of which being that it is a leap year! I know all too well about leap years because I was born on Feb. 28. When I tell people my birthday, the typical response is “Well, good thing it wasn’t a leap day!” To make the most of every leap day, I try to do something fun with my wife and family. In anticipation of my birthday and Feb. 29, I found some fun events in the area that I think everyone should know about! SHIVER IN THE RIVER On Feb. 29, join the Richmond community in cleaning up our outdoors! The annual event raises money for Keep Virginia Beautiful and takes an active part in preserving our natural landscape. The morning starts with cleaning up the banks of the James River, then the festival kicks off with the 5K marathon. The race is open to all ages and experience levels, so you can run or walk at your own pace. The 5K ends with a chilly dip back at the James River. After your plunge, warm up with a heated blanket provided by event staff and enjoy live music, local food, and craft beverages. WINTER HONEY FESTIVAL On Saturday, Feb. 8, join fellow bee and wildlife enthusiasts for a day full of outdoor events and honey. Have an interest in beekeeping? There will be several classes you can attend to learn all about how to maintain healthy hives. In addition to beekeeping classes, there will be several wilderness walks, elk viewings, and other nature-based activities. When you’re not enjoying the bees or the outdoors, be sure to check out all the vendors in attendance who supply local food, wine, and all sorts of bee-themed wares. GALAXYCON Join the rest of the fandom community for a three-day event running Feb. 28 through March 1. Regardless of what you geek out over, there is something for everyone. If you are a classic film fan, you will have the opportunity to see the work of cinema greats like Ricou Browning (“Creature From the Black Lagoon”), Sam J. Jones (“Flash Gordon”), and many others! Do you have any fun events planned for the extra day this February? If so, let me know the next time you’re in the office! I’m always looking for something fun to do with the family. LEAP DAY FAMI LY FUN ARE YOU MAK ING THE MOST OF YOUR EXTRA DAY ?
-Kevin W. Mottley
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T HE H I S T OR Y O F GROUNDHOG DA Y
While it’s a fun holiday, its origins are steeped in rich traditions. Do you have any fun family traditions that stem from Groundhog Day festivities? I’d love to hear about it the next time you are in the office.
When German families immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 18th century, they adopted the groundhog as their Candlemas weather forecaster. The holiday was eventually coined “Groundhog Day” in 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. A local newspaper editor, Clymer Freas, presented the holiday to a group of businessmen and groundhog hunters known as the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The men ventured to Gobbler’s Knob on Feb. 2, and the first Groundhog Day took place. Today, the annual festivities are organized by a group of club members known as the Inner Circle. On the big day, thousands
By the time this is published, Punxsutawney Phil, the legendary groundhog, has already predicted whether or not we will get six more weeks of winter. Ironically enough, Groundhog Day didn’t even start with a groundhog! To understand why Groundhog Day is such a rich tradition here in North America, we have to go back to the Celts. Between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, the Celts celebrated Imbolc on Feb. 1 or 2, which marked the beginning of spring. When Christianity started to spread through Europe, Imbolc evolved into Candlemas. Candlemas is focused more on commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the holy temple in Jerusalem. In certain parts of Europe, it was believed that a sunny Candlemas meant another 40 days of cold weather. Sound familiar? The Germans took the idea one step further, declaring the day to be sunny only if small animals like badgers saw their shadows.
of people gather to see whether or not we will have six more weeks of winter. The holiday was even immortalized in the 1993 Bill Murry classic “Groundhog Day.”
SUDOKU
EASY SHRIMP SCAMPI
Make date night simple with this easy shrimp scampi recipe.
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
• • • •
4 tbsp butter 4 tbsp olive oil
1. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 2. Add shrimp and oregano, stirring frequently until shrimp is pink. Remove shrimp from skillet. 3. Add wine and lemon juice to skillet and bring the mixture to a boil. 4. Stir in remaining butter and olive oil and cook until butter is melted. 5. Add cooked shrimp to skillet and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. 6. In a serving bowl, top cooked linguine with shrimp mixture. Garnish with parsley and serve.
1 tbsp minced garlic 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• •
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup dry white wine
SOLUT ION
• •
1/4 cup lemon juice
8 oz cooked linguine
•
1/4 cup parsley
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Inspired by The Blond Cook
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INS IDE THI S I SSUE
www.MottleyLawFirm.com | (804) 823-2011
1
My Time as an Agent for NFL Players
2
Are You Making the Most of Your Extra Day?
3
How Groundhog Day Came to Be
Easy Shrimp Scampi
4
Learn All About Leap Year
Like the Olympics and presidential elections, leap years only occur once every four years, which is why many people look forward to Feb. 29. But there’s a lot that you might not know about this quirk on the calendar. FACTS ABOUT THE LEAP YEAR LEAP INTO 2020
WHO The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are 1 in 1,461. That means that of the roughly seven billion people in the world, only about five million of them are “leaplings.” The number of leaplings currently living in the U.S. is roughly 187,000. Some famous leaplings include motivational speaker Tony Robbins, rapper Ja Rule, and singer Mark Foster of Foster the People. However, the most famous leapling is probably Superman. When you invent a super-being, you might as well give him a super-birthday. WHERE Anthony, Texas/New Mexico (a single town that straddles the two states’ borders), claims the title “Leap Year Capital of the World.” The city throws one massive birthday party for all leaplings but invites everyone to join the celebration.
WHY To keep the calendar in sync with Earth’s orbit around the sun, an extra day is added to it every four years. Earth takes exactly 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to orbit the sun. Those extra hours add up over time, so another calendar day becomes necessary. But a leap year doesn’t occur every four years. Adding that extra day still doesn’t quite keep Earth on track, so the calendar skips leap years that occur during century years not divisible by 400. For example, 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 won’t be.
Two leapling neighbors from Anthony began the tradition in 1988, and it’s blossomed into a festival with thousands of participants every four years. It includes banquets, hot air balloons, a carnival, concerts, parades, and more. When you have four years to plan in between each shindig, there’s time to go big. Celebrate this leap year by doing something unusual or new. It’s a special day that doesn’t occur often, so make the most of it by doing something you’ll talk about for another four years.
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