Larry Johnson's Former Agent Still Looking To Get Paid
by Joel Thorman on Feb 20, 2010 8:47 AM CST
in 2010 Kansas City Chiefs Season
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PrintFormer Kansas City Chiefs RB Larry Johnson is back in the news.
In October of 2008, as LJ was facing a suspension from the NFL, agent Alvin Keels resigned. He had already negotiated a contract with $19 million in guaranteed dollars in 2007.
The issue here, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains, is whether Keels still has a right to the money LJ owed him in 2009 and beyond.
If an agent is fired by the player, he can collect his paycheck much like a veteran being cut by a team during the season. But if the agent quits, is he entitled to any money?
A hearing was conducted on Friday, Keels confirmed to PFT, yet there is no precedent for a case like this.
Florio writes, "The question, in our view, should turn on whether the player had just cause to end the relationship, or whether the agent had good cause to walk away."
As I wrote last year, I feel that Keels had a reason to walk away. In my view, an agent being associated with a player who is facing a league-imposed suspension has good reason to want to distance himself.
But...it's not up to me. A hearing has been conducted and we'll be curious to see how this ends up.
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IMO if an agent negotiated the future payments
and the player is still able to collect that money, then the agent should still get his cut. If the player isn’t able to collect, then the agent shouldn’t get paid.
why?
The agent didn’t do anything wrong and is losing money. I don’t see why the agent should be punished for his client being an idiot. It is not his fault that his client violated terms of his contract. The agent’s job is to get the contract for the client…..not make sure he completes the contract.
by groundedchevy on Feb 20, 2010 9:12 AM CST up reply actions
It's life
Not everything is going to be fair.
by ChiefsFan90s on Feb 20, 2010 11:30 AM CST up reply actions
I bet Larry is "spitting" mad that he got "slapped" with a lawsuit.
My bold prediction and I think our best chance at moving down in the 1st. Bret Favre retires, Tavarris Jackson is not retained or leaves and the Vikings trade up, with our beloved Chiefs, for Jimmy Claussen.
WRITE IT DOWN!
It should be a contract dispute.
It will be resolved by the terms of the employment contract between LJ and his agent. That document should control the matter.
The contract should have terms about breaching the agreement and fault and who gets paid for what.
Consistency is only a value if you are not a screw up.
Ah, Larry Johnson
Still spreading happiness and joy everywhere he goes.
Seriously, though, I believe the agent should get his commission on a contract he negotiated, even if he quits sometime later. But if it’s about fees that are paid after the contract work has been done, then the agent deserves nothing if he quits unless it’s spelled out in the contract.
Moderator - Arrowhead Pride
Meh
No idea why this is an issue. The agent is owed money for work already done (the guarenteed money being paid each year based on LJ’s original contract). I’d think that anything that paid LJ (roster bonus, performance incentives, whatever) would be subject to the agent getting his percentage as well, to the extent allowed by the contract between LJ and Keels. Keels getting paid for LJ’s contract with KC should be the same whether he’s fired, quit or was abducted by aliens.
This space for rent.
You're not distancing yourself if you come back for the money.
“As I wrote last year, I feel that Keels had a reason to walk away. In my view, an agent being associated with a player who is facing a league-imposed suspension has good reason to want to distance himself”
If he wanted to walk away, he was walking away from the money, too.
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