More on the Matt Leinart Matter. It seems that Chuck Price may have been the agent acting inappropriately. According to Florio at Profootball talk....
PRICE TAKING THE LEAD IN TEAM LEINART
The source that has been feeding us all sorts of interesting tidbits regarding the recent upheaval in the representation team handling USC quarterback Matt Leinart tells us that, while Leinart will replace Leigh Steinberg with Tom Condon of Creative Artists Agency, relative novice Chuck Price has strengthened his position significantly, and could be listed as the lead agent.
Indeed, it was Price's growing influence over the situation that prompted Matt Leinart and his father, Bob, to take a close look at adding a replacement other than Condon. Most observers believed that Leinart's existing relationship with CAA made the choice of Condon a no-brainer, but we're hearing from multiple sources that Ryan and Bruce Tollner, who currently are colleagues of Steinberg, also were under consideration for the Leinart representation. Steinberg, we're told, made a strong push to keep Leinart, and at least one other firm was in the mix.
Word is that the Tollners would have partnered up with Price, if Leinart had chosen to add the Tollners to the team. In fact, we hear that there's a still a possibility that the Tollners will join Price's shop. Some league insiders believe that, if this happens, there's a possibility that the Tollners will carry with them Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. (Of course, the Tollners might want to have a brief chat with David Dunn before trying to leave Steinberg's shop and taking with them one or more of Steinberg's existing clients.)
The winner to date in this process is Price. Widely regard as a wannabe, Price successfully has parlayed relationships with Steinberg and Leinart's personal quarterbacks coach, Steve Clarkson, into the prime spot in the representation team. We're told that Clarkson has now surprisingly been cast aside, too. Some league insiders are convinced that Price intentionally worked to undermine Clarkson with an eye toward getting him dumped.
We're also told that CAA has paid a six-figure sum to Steinberg in order to get him to go away without a fight. In theory, Steinberg could have filed an NFLPA grievance against CAA and/or Condon for tortious interference with the Steinberg-Leinart relationship. There's talk in league circles that Steinberg already has exercised his prerogative to file such a claim against Gary Uberstine, based upon the recent decision of USC offensive tackle Winston Justice to switch from Steinberg to Uberstine.
We've been trading phone messages with Steinberg over the past couple of days, and we hope to talk to him on Monday in order to clarify some of these issues. Stay tuned.
I too will check in on this. Whatever the story, it reads as sleezy acting on CAA's part. I think the NFLPA should step in and take action, period. Moreover, I think Leigh should get seven-figures for damages, not six. But I wonder if this really offer happened. It may have, and it may be that Leigh decided to reject it.
More soon.
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