Ask Brett Tessler | Page 4 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Ask Brett Tessler

t2thejz said:
I am 16 and I have always been interested in becoming a sports agent. I was wondering what paths you took to become one. What did you major in? What school did you go too? Who was your first client? and so on.
When I was your age I knew this is what I wanted to be (I'm 31 now). These days it's much easier to become an agent from an informational standpoint, but much harder from a competition standpoint. There are now well over 1,000 certified agents and less than 1/3 of them even have one active client on a roster. The top 10% of agents have five active clients. Right now I have 15. Make sure you work hard in school and be realistic about your talents. What I mean is if you're 5'4" and you weigh 110 pounds you're never going to play in the NFL no matter how bad you want it. You're never going to become a comedian if you're not funny or a hockey player if you can't skate. To succeed as an agent you need to have a lot of personality and be a great seller and negotiator. It's definitely not for everybody.

I went to Purdue University, majored in political science, and my first client was Mike Alstott (marketing only) who I met when we were graduating from Purdue in 1996. I was 23 at the time and Tessler Sports Management was born. I then got certified with the NLFPA, started signing players and the rest is history.
 
Brett Tessler said:
Hello everybody. My name is Brett Tessler and I'm a South Florida based sports agent. I represent 15 NFL players and have worked with such Dolphins as Scott McGarrahan and Trent Gamble. I enjoyed being a long-time guest at Phinzone and now look forward to hanging out here. I'm happy to answer any of your agent-related questions or share my opinions on the Dolphins and the NFL. This seems like a pretty cool site and I look forward to being a part of it.

nice.

and guess i am amoung the minority here as i think you guys SHOULD get as much as possible for your client while they can. i don't care if it's 2 mil or 20 mil its all biz.

and your 2 clients mentioned were good special teams players here and earned every penny they got. both made some memorable plays on special teams.
 
QUESTION:

Besides yourself, do you know if any other players, agents, or coaches scan boards like this for information or fan feedback??? Does Ricky or Dave W. visit finheaven with an alias? Probably not, but what do other players think of internet forums?

Thanks for your input!
 
Brett,

Thanks for taking our questions. Mine is this:

Do you come across players who tell you 'Get me (or keep me) on this team even though I can make more money elsewhere'; and if so, do you try to talk them into not limiting their choices?
 
Brett Tessler said:
... I know you want my opinion on the Dolphins so I don't mind telling you that they're one of the teams I enjoy dealing with the most.

Please elaborate. In what ways is it better to deal with Spielman and company as opposed to less desirable teams in our division?
 
PhinstiGator said:
Please elaborate. In what ways is it better to deal with Spielman and company as opposed to less desirable teams in our division?

:lol: Gotta love that one.

I'll add to it. What is it like negotiating a contract with Speilman?? What's he like?? Also, is he the guy that does most of the negotiating?? Or do the Dolphins have other guys who handle contract talks??
 
Samphin said:
Hey Brett, welcome aboard. You seem like a nice guy and it is cool to get insight from a side of the business, most of us ( if not all ) know very little about. MY question is this. How does the relationship work between yourself and the player? Meaning, I suppose technically you work for the player, but I imagien when going into negotiations, you are the front line and probably do a lot of number cruncing and passing of figures before presenting something to your client right? Also, how much input do your client's bring to the table? (i.e. where they want to play, for how much and so on and so forth). Have oyu ever had a situation where a player accepted an offer in which you felt you could get more but the player wasn't interested?
You are correct. The agent works for the player, not the other way around (despite what some agents think). It's my job to present the player with his options, offer him my opinion, and proceed in the manner in which he instructs me. Obviously it's best for a player and his agent to be on the same page and for the player to trust their agent's knowledge. In a situation where an agent believes his client could get more money or a better opportunity with TEAM A, and the player insists on getting a deal done with TEAM B, it's the agent's job to make it happen.
 
Mr. Tessler,

What is your opinion of the errors made by the agent for Terrell Owens and by the agent for Dennis Northcutt?

These guys played to get to the point that they were at in free agency and then it gets screwed up by what appears to be a simple clerical error.

Who takes the hit on something like this? I realize that ultimately the agent gets the hit, but this seems like a simple task that is probably handled by an underling. How does a screw up of these proportions happen?

Thanks for your time.
 
Hi Brett,

Welcome aboard! Do you hail from the Miami area? If so, do you attend any camps? If so, there are sure to be a bunch of us finheaven guys and gals lurking about sporting a finheaven T-shirt or something. Drop by and say hi if you get a chance.

Steve
 
dolphan39 said:
:welcome: a-board Brett !!! We really appreciate your unique perspective.

What are you thoughts on the O Gun situtations as it relates to a restricted FA wanting to get paid what an UFA (Kearse) was able to negotiate ?
A Restricted Free Agent is limited in the same ways as a franchised player. In the eyes of most observers, Ogunleye is a player who is worth more than the Dolphins tender offer, but less than what other teams would have to give up to get him. Right now if I were the Dolphins I'd be doing exactly what they're doing, and if I were Drew I'd be doing exactly what he's doing. This thing is going to take a while to get done and hopefully both sides can be fair and realistic enough and avoid a lengthy holdout.
 
Ok Brett I have a tough one for you. You don't have to answer with detail a simple yes or no will do. On pretty much ever depiction of agents on TV mainly Arliss and that Jay Moore show that I don't think lasted yoou always see agents called in to clean up a huge mess that their client made that could end their professional careers or put them in jail. The agents then come in and look like their guy was never there no matter how inmoral it may be. Have you ever been put in a situation like that or heard of a real life situation that another agent you may know had to do this?
 
4Dfins said:
Great to have you aboard!

Dolphins Question: Biggest question in the fans mind concerns the OL and the QBs.

1. What are your thoughts concerning our OL in regard to talent and youth?

2. Is AJ Feeley and upgrade to Jay, and what is the general concensus (in the agent world) regarding his ability?

Thanks again,
4D
No team can win without an offensive line and last year's Dolphins proved it. This year's group has 1 returning starter and no proven depth. Some of these younger guys (Carey, Whitley, Yates, Smith, Hadnot, etc.) better develop in a hurry. If a starting-quality lineman becomes available after June 1, Miami might want to go after him.

If Miami didn't believe Feeley was an upgrade over Fiedler, they would have never given up a 2nd round pick for him. It all remains to be seen...
 
finleyfinton said:
other than becoming licensed with the NFLPA, what advice do u have for a young proffessional trying to crack into the field. Does a law degree work to my advantage??
being an agent is not the end all be all for me, but ultimately, I want to become involved in sports, either as a player rep or assisitng with the cap and negotiations....
what opportunities may i not be thinking of???
thanks
The best advice I can give is to not take anybody's advice. Trust your instincts and believe in yourself. What I did worked for me; figure out what will work for you. Initially I had no knowledge of the business, yet I talked my first client (Mike Alstott) into letting me handle his marketing. Before you know it, we're going from small autograph signings to getting on the cover of Sony video games and other huge deals. Then I turn around and I'm certified with the NFLPA and getting other talented players to sign with me to be their agent. The last 8 years have been a blur. I started Tessler Sports Management when I was 23 and did it my way. If the will and desire is there, the how-to will follow. A law degree is always a good thing to have even though you don't need it to become an agent. Good luck.
 
Dajesus said:
I have a follow up question for ya. With Drew many would say he stepped over that limit with O-Gun. He also has a monopoly pretty much on Dolphin players. In your opinon if the negotians to pick up with Walle, could you see the Phins start giving Drew a harder time while working out other Dolphin contracts. My other question is do you see alot of one agent having alot of their clients on one team like Drew has here in Miami?

Thanks again I think this is awesome that you are taking this time.
An agent needs to represent each of their players individually. You can't sell one client short to protect another. As long as you do things in an ethical way, everything should work out in the long-run. If an agent has a good relationship with a team it's not uncommon for them to have multiple players on that team. For instance, I represent 3 players on the Packers and 3 players on the Steelers.
 
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