“Yeah, yeah, I know whyyouthink I need an agent. But I want to hear them say it, in their own words. That’s what this meeting is about, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“It’s a sales pitch, so let them sell it.” He looks at Sutton as he continues. “I’m the most sought-after QB in years. Since, I don’t know… Mahomes?”
He smirks and I have to refrain from correcting him. He’s the most sought-after quarterback sinceme, but I’ll remind him of that when it’s my turn at the bat.
“I have offers coming at me from all sides. Why not just pick the best one?”
It’s a struggle not to roll my eyes. I’ve done this dance too many damn times, and all of these kids are just as arrogant as the last. Hell,Iwas this arrogant kid once upon a time.
Feels like a lifetime ago, sure, but I can still remember thinking I hung the damn moon and expecting the whole world to bow at my feet.
Which, they did… until they didn’t.
“Listen, kid,” I begin—
“You’re right, Emerson,” Sutton interrupts, “it seems easy to just sort through the offers, find the best one and lock in. Highest dollar amount, best perks and incentives, flashiest gifts… they’re right there and ready for you to choose. Upon last count, you have nearly all of the thirty-two teams vying for you, and that’s not something you go into blindly. There’s so much more to this than picking the best offer. Let’s say you want to remain in Texas—”
“I do.”
Sutton nods. “But what if New England wants to pay you twice as much? Triple, even? Your agent has the tools and experience to negotiate on your behalf. You want New England’s offer matched by the Cowboys? Then I’ll make that happen.”
I lean back, watching Sutton as she pitches herself, loving her confidence and hating that I’m the one who will inevitably squash it by the end of this meeting.
“But what comes next? When your first season is secured and you’ve gotten onto the team you want with the pay you sought, when it seems you have everything you’ve ever dreamed of… what then? There are no guarantees in this game, Emerson. That’s why you need me, someone in your corner who is willing to fight tooth and nail to protect you, your future, and your family’s future as well. Your family’s security won’t be an afterthought for me, Emerson. That’s a promise.
“And that’s just the beginning of what I’ll work for on your behalf. You’ll have contracts come up for renegotiation, sponsorship opportunities, trade possibilities, endorsement deals, so much fine print and red tape to work through that—ifyouhandled them all yourself—the sheer weight of the demands would take your head right out of the game.”
“Fair enough,” the kid says. “Maybe it’s too much for me, but why can’t my mom handle that stuff? She went to law school.”
Sutton looks at the woman beside her and smiles. “Two years at Loyola, right?”
The kid’s mom beams, those two years clearly a source of pride.
“Then you had Emerson’s eldest brother.” She’s done her homework during all those nights on the sidelines.
Mrs. Bratt nods.
“And that’s when you made the difficult decision to stay home with him full-time.”
How Sutton manages to say that without sounding in the least bit condescending should be studied. Especially as someone who, herself, seemingly did the opposite, choosing to pursue her own law degree before opening up Hart Strategic Management, forgoing a husband and kids for this life of deals and negotiations.
She’s not the only one who’s done their homework.
Mrs. Bratt smiles then, nodding. “Best decision I ever made.” Looking at her son now, she grins widely. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
“Of course not,” Sutton says as she reaches over and squeezes the woman’s hand. “My own mother wanted to be a stay-at-home parent, but it just wasn’t in the cards for us.” Her neck flexes on a difficult swallow and I narrow my eyes. What’s that about? I make a mental note to look into her childhood with her mother when I have some free time. Sutton’s father’s struggles were public knowledge, especially within the sports community, but I can’t recall hearing anything about her mom. I guess I just assumed she’d taken a backseat to Ricky Hart’s career, but was there more to it than that?
What’s a little more homework in the name of closing the deal? A good competitor knows his opponent’s weaknesses.
“You’ve been very fortunate.” Sutton looks pointedly at Emerson. “Both of you.” Returning her attention to Mrs. Bratt, Sutton smiles and continues with, “You have a young daughter… Emma?”
“Yes, our baby is fourteen now.”
Nodding, Sutton continues, “Quite the journey you’ve had, seeing two incredible young men through college and the youngest just starting her high school experience… you have a lot on your plate. Is managing Emerson’s career really something you want to do?” She quickly corrects herself by adding, “What I mean is, at the end of the day, it comes down to this: are you sure it’s something you have thebandwidthfor?”
The kid’s dad leans forward in his seat and whispers to his wife, “You can be honest, honey.”
