Could a Sports Agent Help Gilbert Arenas?
If Gilbert Arenas had a sports agent, would his legal problems be viewed as less serious? Arenas allegedly got into it with Washington Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton. This dispute is far more serious than the average teammate-on-teammate spat because Arenas is being investigated by police for apparently threatening Crittenton with a gun.
Mike Jones, a former Washington Times sports writer, writes in his blog that Arenas “doesn’t have an agent boldly proclaiming a positive outcome for him, partly because he has no agent.” This comes on the heels of Crittenton’s agent making this statement:
“I’m confident my client hasn’t done anything wrong,” Bartelstein said. “The fact will bear that out. It’s unfortunate that rumors get going and inaccuracies come out before the facts are known, but all we can do is wait for the investigation to conclude.… Javaris will be exonerated of any wrong doing.”
Bartelstein is doing the right thing by his client. It is his job to make such statements and to believe in his client. If Arenas had an agent, he would undoubtedly issue similar statements. Still, I have my doubts that the agent’s statements would be too helpful in the investigation by law enforcement.
For precedent, see the Plaxico Burress situation. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was optimistic in his predictions. Rosenhaus is as talented and aggressive a sports agent as anyone in the business, but even he could not keep his client out of prison. Sometimes the agent has to fulfill his obligation to speak positively and defend his client, even when he knows there are higher powers, such as the law, that will be the final arbiter of his client's future.
