Seattle Seahawks star left tackle Russell Okung fired his agent and he’s not looking for a new one. Okung has decided to represent himself, calculating that he knows the marketplace and can get as good a deal as an agent can bring him. This isn’t something Okung told reporters. Rather in a warm-up for his fresh exercise in rugged individualism, Okung wrote an article himself about his decision. It appears in the Players Tribune.
Okung has some experience in negotiating. He got his first agent to knock down his rate from 3% to 2.5% “without much pushback.” It was then he started to believe he didn’t need any Jerry Maguire magic. “I hate that movie,” Okung says, because it gives the impression that “athletes need agents.” Ain’t so, according to Okung. Athletes don’t need agents — only “self-assurance and financial know-how.” Okung specifically cites LeBron James as a new sort of athlete businessman and “living brand” who controls his own destiny, who “represents himself.” The living brand LeBron James, by the way, does have an agent. His name is Rich Paul and his agency is called Klutch Sports.
Thanks to the @NFLPA for immediate assistance in providing the resources I’ll need to move forward. Players, the tools are there for you too
— Russell Okung (@RussellOkung) July 21, 2015
