S. Samuel
Rap mogul Jay-Z's pursuit of newly drafted New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith has ended in an official business agreement with the highly-anticipated athlete joining Roc Nation Sports.
According to reports, the decision to have Hov’s recently launched sports agency represent him became official Wednesday (May 22).
After weeks of speculation, rookie quarterback Geno Smith announced Wednesday that he has hired Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports to represent him. Smith, who created national headlines when he fired his original agents after falling out of the first round in last month’s draft, hinted that the marketing appeal of Roc Nation Sports was a factor in his decision. Four decades removed from Broadway Joe, the New York Jets have Madison Avenue Geno. “When you talk about being in New York from a standpoint of what they can do in the city, the connections that they have, I think it’s a good move,” said Smith, claiming Jay-Z’s presence wasn’t the overriding reason for his selection. (ESPN New York)
Buzz behind Geno possibly hooking up with Jay on a professional level sprouted online a couple weeks ago.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith could end up having Jay-Z help navigate the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Smith has wrapped up two days of meetings with potential successors to Select Sports Group, the agency Smith hired after completing his college career at West Virginia. Making presentations were Joel Segal, Rick Smith of Priority Sports, Eugene Parker, Fletcher Smith, and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation agency. (NBC Sports)
Initial reports suggested Young Hov faced an issue with what type of representation he can get with Smith due to him not yet being a certified agent.
Whether or not Jay-Z himself will look to represent Smith remains to be seen. Since he is not a certified NFLPA agent, he cannot be involved in the process to the extent that he is persuading potential clients to sign with a particular NFLPA agent. But it’s possible Jay-Z will be in contact with Smith to discuss non-football representation, and as Florio writes, “when it comes to understanding how to survive and thrive in New York, it wouldn’t hurt to get (and to heed) advice from Jay-Z.” (Sports Illustrated)
Recent reporting detailed the extensive process Jigga would have to undergo to be a certified agent.
But given the NFLPA’s requirement that only certified agents be involved in the recruitment of clients, Jay-Z won’t be able to help deliver potential NFL clients for contract representation unless he secures the appropriate credentials from the players’ union. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, CAA realizes that Jay-Z will need to be certified in order to actively recruit players. That means he’ll have to pass the NFLPA’s admission test. Another source explains that the test is administered in July, with the applications typically due by February. That means Jay-Z couldn’t sit for the test until July 2014 at the earliest. (NBC Pro Football Talk)
