Sunday, July 18, 2004

Controversial agents Carl and Kevin Poston ASK FOR THE MOON and RARELY GIVE AN INCH, a tactic that endears them to clients and makes them PERSONA NON GRATA in NFL front offices

NO BARGAIN

Story by Mary Kay Cabot – Plain Dealer Reporter

Kellen Winslow Sr. sat listening intently to a presentation by controversial agents Carl and Kevin Poston when he felt a nudge on his shoulder. “This is the way we wanted to do it,” whispered Ken Shropshire, a University of Pennsylvania law professor and member of the advisory panel for tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., the Browns’ No. 1 pick. Winslow Sr., a Hall of Fame tight end for the San Diego Chargers, had been thinking the same thing.

The Postons reminded Winslow Sr. a lot of himself and Shropshire back when they were considering starting their own agency years ago. They were smart and well-educated. They were accomplished lawyers. There were African-Americans who wanted to set a good example for young people of color.

They approached their business like a family, developing close and lasting relationships with their players. They were known for their annual company outing, in which they brought together their growing stable of high-profile clients for team-building and camaraderie.

To many of their clients – 85 percent were raised by single mothers – they were like fathers and big brothers.

Midway through the presentation in Miami, it occurred to Winslow Sr. that these were not at all the terrible Postons he had heard about from his many high-powered friends in NFL front offices, the same ones that cautioned him against hiring them.

DEALING IN HIGH STAKES

POSTON
Postons’ dogged style appeals to athletes

To be sure, the Postons were mavericks. They were making landmark deals for their clients and ticking off NFL teams along the way. They were bucking the system – but it was a system that Winslow Sr. strongly felt needed some bucking anyway.

They were also making headlines, not all of them good.

Most recently, they had been in the news for a $6.5 million discrepancy in the contract of Redskins star linebacker LaVar Arrington. The Postons were saying the Redskins omitted bonus money and then rush Arrington to sign the contract before the Postons had a chance to review it.

But Winslow Sr. dug in and listened. And the more he listened, the more he liked what he heard. And then came the best part of the presentation.

Kevin Poston pulled out the PSP Creed (which stands for their company, Professional Sports Planning) and began to read. He read about PSP men being real and living by moral principles and values. He read about standing by your word and being loyal. He read about love, integrity and character. He read about respecting women and treating them like queens. He referred to the three H’s: honesty, humility and hunger to be the best.

Then he showed the PSP pin, a small gold key, and explained that if you’re living up to the PSP creed, you can wear the pin proudly as a reminder that it will open doors for you.

Winslow Sr. was amazed by the presentation. “I was like, ‘Shoot, this is just about a done deal right here,’” Winslow Sr. said. “They really shined.”

Not League favorites

But before Winslow Sr. and his five-man advisory panel were ready to hand over the self-proclaimed “Chosen One” to the Postons, they had more digging to do. What about their bad reputation in the NFL? What about the persistent rumors that teams hate to deal with the Postons?

Winslow called his GM friends in the league, presented them with a list of three agents and asked which ones they’d least like to work with.

“Across the board, teams said the Postons,” Winslow Sr. said. “But the more I thought about it, I realized that was a good thing. Who wants an agent who’s in good with the NFL GMs? Will he be serving your best interests or trying to preserve his relationships?”

During the selection process, Winslow Jr. talked to Arrington about the missing $6.5 million. “LaVar knows it wasn’t the Postons’ fault,” Winslow Jr. said. “He was very comfortable with the way they tried to fix the problem after they discovered it. Every player that I talked to loves these guys.”

On draft day, the Redskins passed on Winslow and drafted his former teammate, Sean Taylor, with the No. 5 pick in the draft. Speculation throughout the league was that they passed on Winslow Jr. because they didn’t want to deal with the Postons.

“That’s ridiculous,” Winslow Sr. said. “I know Joe Gibbs very well, and he told me that they had to go with a defensive player to go along with LaVar Arrington because they had already done so much to improve the offense.”

In the end, the Winslows took a leap of faith with the Postons at a time when the agents were embroiled in controversy with at least five NFL teams and under the scrutiny of the NFL Players Association.

When news broke that the Winslows had chosen the Postons, Winslow Sr. heard from some of his best friends in the NFL. “They said, ‘How could you have picked the Postons?’” Winslow Sr. said, “I said, ‘Do you think I’m stupid? We picked them because we did our homework.”

Now the Browns are about to go where some NFL teams have vowed never to go again: to the negotiating table with PSP.

It is expected that initial proposal will be exchanged sometime this week. The Browns are bracing themselves for a tough battle with the Postons – specifically Kevin, who will handle Winslow’s deal. The Browns begin full-squad workouts July 30.

On draft day, when the Browns traded up a spot to No. 6 to draft Winslow, Kevin Poston told reporters that Winslow could become the LeBron James of the Browns and that he was No. 1 on most teams’ draft boards. Never mind what Winslow Jr. had just said about getting a fair raise over last year’s No. 6 overall pick. Kevin Poston pointed out that Winslow Jr. was no ordinary No. 6 pick and should get paid like the superstar he’s about to become. He reminded Winslow Jr. that although he has sports respect, he must now gain business respect.

Winslow Jr. no longer is looking for merely a fair raise over last year’s No.6 pick. “A lot of people had me No. 1 on their boards,” Winslow said, echoing the sentiments of his agents.

The remarks come as no surprise to at least half a dozen teams in the NFL who have tried to negotiate with the Postons lately.

“No one in the league wants to work with them,” said one NFL source. “And it’s not because they’re so good at what they do. We all understand there are going to be difficult negotiations. It’s because they think their job is to make their players hate the club. Everywhere they go, there’s trouble. It always turns into a cancerous situation.”

There for players

The Postons rely on their strong upbringing and faith to deal with all the criticism.

Kevin Poston was the third of the four Poston boys growing up in a tough part of Saginaw, Mich. – now known as “Sagnasty” – and Carl Jr. was the oldest. Carl Sr. was a lawyer, like many of the Poston men, and his wife Thelma, later founded a real estate agency.

“The strength and tower of my life is my father,” Kevin said. “He gave me wings to fly high and whoop low to help. My mother was the wind that guided me in the right direction.” The Postons earned their undergraduate degrees from Fisk University and both went on to receive law degrees. Kevin graduated in the top five of his class at Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern in Houston. Carl earned his master’s in business administration and later his law degree from Wayne State. Carl specialized in tax law at a Los Angeles firm and later stated his own practice in Houston, where he now resides.

Kevin, who began selling real estate at the age of 18, specialized in real estate law for the prestigious firm of Miro, Miro and Weiner in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where he became a partner and shareholder. Both brothers are marred with three children.

THE POSTONS’ LANDMARK NFL DEALS

Ty Law, New England, 1995
His rookie contract, for the 23rd overall pick, exceeded the numbers of the No. 17 pick. Law’s second contract, in 2001, included a $14.2 million signing bonus, which was highest signing bonus ever for a defensive back at the time.

Orlando Pace, St. Louis, 1997
His seven-year, $25.6 million deal was the highest rookie contract ever at the time.

Charles Rogers, Detroit, 2003
His $14.4 million signing bonus was the highest signing bonus for a rookie in the NFL.

By the late 1980s, the Postons had kicked around the idea of becoming sports agents. Carl had gone to college on an athletic scholarship, and Kevin recalls watching Jim Brown play on Sunday afternoons. While both were lawyers, folks began approaching them about representing players and the idea took hold.

“We were struck by the fact that most players retire broke,” Carl said. “We also saw that about 80 percent of professional athletes are black but only about 5 percent of agents are black.”

In 1989, they established Professional Sports Planning. Carl works out of Houston and Kevin works out of Farmington Hills, Mich., but they’re in constant contact. One of their first clients was cornerback Terrell Buckley, who held out for a landmark deal with the Green Bay Packers, one that still has former Packers GM Ron Wolf saying he would never want to deal with the Postons.

“I don’t know if other reams would shy away from them, but I would,” he recently said.

Soon after Buckley, the Postons landed Penny Hardaway of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, and their business was up and running. They negotiated a record 13-year, $68 million deal for Hardaway and helped market Nike’s enormously successful Lil’ Penny character.

Along the way, they began to develop almost a cult following among their players, who treat them like family. When cornerback Charles Woodson of the Oakland Raiders was arrested for driving under the influence, he called his mother first and Kevin second. “Kevin has always been there for me, day or night,” Woodson said.

Today, the Postons represent some of the best players in the NFL, and they’re landed some of the most lucrative contracts. According to a cbsportsline.com report, they are one of only five agencies to get top 10 selections regularly since 1995. Over the past five years, the Postons have had six top 10 picks.

In this year’s NFL draft, the Postons were tied for second among agents with three first-round picks. Eugene Parker had four. They were the only agency to have two in the top 10: Winslow and No. 9 pick Reggie Williams of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The No. 5 pick, Taylor of the Redskins, fired his agent and could still wind up with the Postons.

When receiver Charles Rogers, the No. 2 overall pick in 2003 and a Postons’ client, signed with the Lions, he received a $14.4 million signing bonus, the largest ever for a rookie in the NFL.

At the beginning of last season, star safety and Poston client Lawyer Milloy was cut by the New England Patriots after refusing to take a $1.4 million pay cut. Within a day, the safety signed a four-year, $15 million deal with the Buffalo Bills that included a $5 million signing bonus.

“If you want to call us tough, we’ll take it,” he said. “Our job is to get fair market value for our players, and that’s what we always strive to do.”

Former Oakland General Manager Bruce Allen, now with Tampa Bay, has dealt with Postons often, including on the Woodson deal.

“They’re great, very professional,” he said. “They get great deals for their clients, but that’s a good thing. This is America. I’ve never had a problem with them.”

What’s more, their clients do not always hold out, contrary to the Postons’ reputation. Last year, Rogers made Lions camp on time. In 1998, Charles Woodson, the No. 4 overall pick, was the only one of the top five picks to get into camp on time.

“Who doesn’t have holdouts?” Kevin Poston said. “If our players are getting to camp on time but we’re not getting fair market value for them, then we’re not serving them well.” Arrington agreed.

“If you don’t like the Postons, maybe you should ask yourself why,” Arrington said. “Look at the athletes they represent, the character we have and what we’re doing on the field.

“The Winslows did the right thing. All Kellen has to do is play his heart out and the contract will take care of itself. They will always get the best deal for you.”

POSTONS IN THE NEWS

The Postons are currently in disputes with about half a dozen NFL teams. Here are five of the teams and their disputes with the Postons.

San Francisco
Linebacker Julian Peterson is franchised and headed for a holdout. The 49ers are offering him the richest contract in team history, including a $15.5 million signing bonus. The Postons are reportedly seeking a $30 million bonus.

St. Louis
Five-time Pro Bowler Orlando pace is franchised for the second year in a row. The Postons are seeking a $27 million signing bonus and the Rams are offering a $13 million signing bonus. Pace reportedly wants to play for the Browns, who do not want to give up two No. 1 picks, the price for a franchise player. The Postons asked for a seven-year, $71 million deal for Pace. The Rams have offered a seven-year deal worth $42.5 million. Rams president of football operations Jay Zygmunt called the Postons’ proposal a ransom note. “A ransom note? How can you call that a ransom note when Peyton Manning got a $98 million contract,” said Poston “Do you really think that Peyton Manning is worth $30 million more than Orlando Pace? Orlando helped Kurt Warner become a two-time MVP. He helped Marshall Faulk become the league MVP.”

Oakland
The Raiders had to franchise Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson, above, and are bracing for a holdout. He reportedly wants a bigger bonus than Poston client Ty Law received in 2001 ($14.2 million) from the Patriots.

Washington
The Postons and LaVar Arrington say the Redskins rushed Arrington into a deal that omitted an agreed-upon $6.5 million bonus for 2006. Union chief Gene Upshaw is trying to broker a deal, but the dispute is headed to arbitration next month. “We did nothing wrong on the Arrington contract,” said Kevin Poston. “What we agreed to was not ultimately in the contract. A $6.5 million bonus was missing, and they rushed LaVar to sign it so they could meet a salary-cap deadline.”

New England
Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law, above, recently called coach Bill Belichick a liar for allegedly promising him a guaranteed amount of money and then reneging on it. He will play this year at his cap-rich number of $10 million and then the two sides could be back at it again in the off-season. “The numbers don’t lie,” said Law.”…The Postons do everything possible to get fair market value. I’m going to live and die by the Postons on and off the field.”