Joe Banner and Howie Roseman made the deal, Jeffrey Lurie paid for the deal, but Nnamdi Asomugha's agent Ben Dogra made the deal possible.
Aug 2, 2011 -
A sports agent's job is to drive up the market demand and subsequent price for his or her client. Almost all agents are the same in this right. However, there are a few exceptions. Ben Dogra, agent for Nnamdi Asomugha, is one of those exceptions. Sports Illustrated's Peter King tweeted that Dogra thinks of his client first and then himself. That's a tough characteristic to find in an agent.
The Eagles went into free agency knowing what they wanted to pay for Asomugha and they wouldn't go any higher than that. They expressed their interest and intentions to Dogra and they requested that their interest be kept secret from the public. Dogra complied and never mentioned the Eagles to anyone--not even his client--until the very last minute. Jon Tamari of the Philadelphia Inquirer also points out that Dogra "didn't even tell his assistant who reviews contracts about the possible deal until after it was announced." When the last minute arrived and Asomugha found out that the Eagles were in the mix, he immediately made up his mind. He wanted to be a Philadelphia Eagle.
Agents are sharks. There is no doubt about it. That's the nature of their business and it's usually in the best interest of their clients. But they are correct in doing what they do. I used to work for a sports agency so I would know. Angry fans usually spark a lot of the negative publicity about agents. Many fans don't understand the business side of sports and it's a shame. The average career span for an NFL player is about four years (or less) so they obviously want to be taken care of financially in case of catastrophic injury.
All of this is more reason to appreciate what Ben Dogra did for the Eagles. He could've easily picked up the phone, dialed the Cowboys, and told them what the Eagles were bidding. And that could've de-railed the whole deal. But he didn't. He kept his mouth shut and allowed the Eagles to maneuver in the shadows to capture Nnamdi. When asked how the Eagles were able to get the deal done so quietly, Eagles GM Howie Roseman credited Dogra, "I think it is an attribute to the relationship we have with the guys at CAA and in this particular case Ben Dogra."
Don't get me twisted, though. I'm not an agent advocate. I'm merely pointing out the significance of what Dogra did and giving him his piece of the pie.
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