Peter Schaffer (sports agent)

Last updated

Peter Schaffer (born in 1962) is an American sports agent and lawyer who represents players in the National Football League, Major League Baseball, PGA Tour, the National Basketball Association, the Premier Lacrosse League, and the National Hockey League. He is the founder and owner of Authentic Athletix, a Colorado-based sports agency, and is known for representing highly drafted players and notable names. [1] He also owns an athletic combine training facility in Denver.

Contents

Schaffer represents active and retired athletes and celebrities, including Pro Football Hall of Famers Barry Sanders, Steve Atwater, Jerome Bettis, Willie Roaf and Joe Thomas, as well as fellow NFL players Joe Mixon, Adam Jones, Randy Gregory, La'el Collins, Allen Lazard, Rayshawn Jenkins, Joshua Cribbs, C. J. Anderson, Mario Edwards Jr., and Hakeem Nicks. [2] He also represents PGA golfers, including two-time PGA tour winner Jonathan Kaye and Shane Bertsch.[ citation needed ]

Biography

Early years

Schaffer was born in upstate New York. He attended Cortland High School and then The Hill School, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania on an athletic and academic scholarship, graduating in 1980 with honors. Schaffer then attended Franklin and Marshall College, graduating in 1984 with honors while playing both varsity lacrosse and hockey. Schaffer would later be awarded The Alumni Citation from Franklin and Marshall College in 2019. [3] In 1987, he graduated from Brooklyn Law School.

In 1988, he played professional lacrosse in the American Lacrosse League (1988) (ALL) for the Denver Rifles.

His first job out of law school was with the Denver-based law firm of Weller, Freidrich, Ward, and Andrews, a litigation firm. After law school in 1988, Schaffer became certified as a Contract Advisor ("Agent") by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), the NHLPA, and PGA Tour.[ citation needed ]

Representation

Schaffer has represented five (5) players who have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. These include Joe Thomas, Barry Sanders, Jerome Bettis, Willie Roaf, and Steve Atwater

Schaffer represents Joe Mixon (running back), Randy Gregory, Allen Lazard, La'el Collins, Trevor Pryce. He also represents Hakeem Nicks (wide receiver, Tennessee Titans), Chad Brown (linebacker, Seattle Seahawks), Jason Gildon (linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers), C. J. Anderson (Running Back, Denver Broncos), David Diehl (Pro Bowl Offensive Tackle, New York Giants and current Fox Sports Game analyst), Larry Johnson (running back, Kansas City Chiefs), Rudi Johnson (running back, Cincinnati Bengals), Derrick Mason, Wide Receiver, Titans and Ravens, Samari Rolle, Cornerback, Titans and Ravens, Tra Thomas Tackles, Eagles, Lito Sheppard, Cornerback. Eagles, and quarterback New York Giants and current ESPN and Jesse Palmer, Good Morning America studio host.[ citation needed ]

Other football clients include C. J. Anderson (Running Back, Denver Broncos) and Adam Jones Cornerback, Cincinnati Bengals [ citation needed ] and Joe Mixon. [4]

Authentic Athletix

In 2011, Schaffer started his own agency called Authentic Athletix, LLC, a sports and entertainment agency. [2]

Media presence

Schaffer appears on ABC Nightly News, [5] Fox Sports , [6] The Dan Patrick Show , [7] HBO Real Sports and 60 Minutes . [8] He has also co-hosted shows on KFFN (Denver) and Altitude Sports Network. His thoughts on the NFL can be read regularly in his national column for the Washington Post's "Inside the League." He has served as a Professor of Sports Law at the University of Denver and has lectured at Tulane University Law School, University of Colorado Business School, Johnson and Wales University, University of Colorado Law School and the University of New York-Cortland, among others. He has also served as chairman of the Denver Cable Commission and the Denver Professional Lacrosse Commission. He is a member of the Agent Advisory Board of the NFL Players Union and is a member of both the NFLPA and NHLPA.[ citation needed ]

On August 11, 2015, the Esquire Network premiered a new docu-series titled The Agent, which follows Schaffer and three other NFL agents as they court potential clients in the months leading up to the NFL draft. Camera crews documented Schaffer's recruitment of Florida State star defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. and 2014 Thorpe Award winner Gerod Holliman of Louisville. The series includes footage of Schaffer playing golf with NFL star and client Adam Jones, a trip to a men's lacrosse tournament where Schaffer convinces his teammates to take the Wonderlic test with his new clients and even captures Schaffer watching former Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday suffer a broken leg shortly after contacting him as a potential client.[ citation needed ] [9]

Related Research Articles

A sports agent is a legal representative for professional sports figures such as athletes and coaches. They procure and negotiate employment and endorsement contracts for the athlete or coach whom they represent. In addition to contract negotiations, sports agents may also help their clients with financial planning, legal issues, and marketing. They may work closely with financial advisors, lawyers, and marketing professionals on behalf of their clients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaVar Arrington</span> American football player (born 1978)

LaVar RaShad Arrington is an American former football linebacker who played for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected with the second overall pick by the Washington Redskins of the 2000 NFL draft. He was also a member of the New York Giants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Richardson (American football)</span> American football player (born 1971)

Antonio Richardson is an American former professional football fullback who played for the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 1994. He played college football at Auburn University.

Stanley Tobias Wilson Sr. is an American former professional football running back who played for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and selected by the Bengals in the ninth round of the 1983 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Winston</span> American football player (born 1983)

Eric Joseph Winston is a former American football offensive tackle. He played in college at the University of Miami and was selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft. Winston also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, and Cincinnati Bengals. He was the president of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) from 2014 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domonique Foxworth</span> American football player (born 1983)

Domonique Foxworth is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles W. Flanagan High School</span> Public school in Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States

Charles W. Flanagan High School is a public high school in Pembroke Pines, Florida, United States.

Thomas Joseph Condon is an American football agent and former right guard. He was named the most powerful agent in American football by Sporting News in 2006 and heads the Football Division of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) with fellow agent Ben Dogra. His clients include quarterbacks Sam Bradford, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan, Alex Smith and brothers Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.

Toi Fitzgerald Cook is a former professional American football player who was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the eighth round of the 1987 NFL draft. A 5'11", 188 lb (85 kg). defensive back from Stanford University, he played in 11 NFL seasons from 1987 to 1997. In 1992, he had a career-high six interceptions for 90 yards and one touchdown for the Saints. He appeared in Super Bowl XXIX for the victorious San Francisco 49ers, and had an interception in the game. Before his NFL career, he was an outfielder, and the leadoff hitter, on Stanford's 1987 College World Series national champion baseball team.

Charles Lamont Smith is an American football sports agent, the founder and president of sports and entertainment representation firm All Pro Sports and Entertainment. Black Enterprise selected him as one of the top 50 black sports professionals in the country. Smith has been described by The New York Times as one of the most powerful sports agents in the country. Smith was honored by the Black Sports Agents Association as Agent of the Year in July 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeMaurice Smith</span> American lawyer, labor leader, NFLPA executive director

DeMaurice F. "De" Smith is the former executive director of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). He was elected unanimously on March 15, 2009. As executive director of the NFLPA during the 2011 NFL lockout, Smith played a major role in helping the players and NFL owners come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement.

John "JR" Rickert is an American sports agent who represents players in the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball Association, as well as boxers. He is the chief operating officer of Authentic Athletix Sports Agency's East Coast Offices, and is the owner of JR Sports Enterprises. Additionally, he is a former high school teacher and coach, and the current principal of Niskayuna High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La'el Collins</span> American football player (born 1993)

La'el Collins is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, where he won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, recognizing the Southeastern Conference's (SEC) top offensive lineman, in 2014. Collins signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Trope</span>

Michael Lance "Mike" Trope, is a Los Angeles based trial lawyer and former sports agent for over 200 NFL players. Trope was a sports agent from the time he was a 21-year-old senior at University of Southern California, USC, in 1972 until he retired from the business in 1985. Subsequently, after Trope's graduation from Loyola Law School, he was admitted to practice law in California in 1987. As an agent for football stars, Trope was known for negotiating record breaking contracts in the 1970s, including the first million dollar package for an NFL rookie. This caused many publications to refer to Trope, still in his 20s, as a Super Agent by 1977, as well as "Whiz Kid" and "LA's Boy Wonder". Trope is the son of legendary Los Angeles Trial lawyer and philanthropist, Sorrell Trope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Mixon</span> American football player (born 1996)

Joseph Tyler Mixon is an American professional football running back for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). Mixon played college football at Oklahoma, where he was a first-team All-Big 12, and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft.

Terrell Anthony Watson is a former American football running back. He played college football at Azusa Pacific. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NFL Player's Association Financial Registration Program</span>

The NFL Players Association's Financial Advisors Registration Program is a program that will provide NFL players with access to a list of financial advisors who are deemed qualified by the NFLPA. The program was created in 2002 after a series of many investment schemes targeted at professional athletes. It aims to provide an extra layer of protection to athletes to protect them from fraud and poor advice. Advisors must apply to the program and go through a full background check before being added to the list. In October 2019, the NFLPA began inviting financial institutions to register with the program, and currently have partnerships with Goldman Sachs and Bessemer Trust. While players can ultimately choose any investment advisor that they would like to work with, their sports agents can only recommend registered advisors on the list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Surtain II</span> American football player (born 2000)

Patrick Frank Surtain II is an American professional football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected ninth overall by the Broncos in the 2021 NFL draft.

Ellen Marsha Zavian is an American sports agent and attorney. She was the first National Football League (NFL) female attorney-agent. She is a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School. She is also the founder and owner of EZ Negotiation, a sports agency based in the Washington, D.C. area.

Alexander F. Guminski is an American sports agent and attorney. He is the Founder and President of PRO ZONE: The Agency, a Pittsburgh-based sports agency specializing in National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) contract negotiation and marketing representation. He is also the founder of Guminski Law, P.C. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is best known for negotiating the largest CFL player contract for an American running back in over 15 years when Guminski finalized the contract of his client, Ka'Deem Carey, with the Calgary Stampeders in January 2022.

References

  1. "NFL Back in Business". Rick Reilly, ESPN. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  2. 1 2 "Authentic Athletix Clients". AgentAA.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  3. "Society of Distinguished Alumni". Franklin & Marshall College. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  4. "Joe Mixon lobbied Bengals brass for La'el Collins signing". Bengals Wire. 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  5. "Why NBA Players Get Into Trouble". ABC News. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  6. "Seahawks Sign Thomas". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  7. "Dan Patrick on Peter Schaffer". AgentAA.com. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  8. "Pelley Interviews Schaffer 60 Minutes". AgentAA.com. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  9. "Peter Schaffer, prominent Denver sports agent, stars in new series on Esquire TV". April 22, 2006.