Mike Silver On Vince Young

SI's Mike Silver's got a great take on Vince Young's draft stock and why it's not really falling at all. You can read all of it with a click on the title of this post. Here's the first page below:

Still the one
No reason for Young's stock to fall since Rose Bowl

Posted: Friday April 14, 2006 12:04PM; Updated: Friday April 14, 2006 5:11PM

"The trouble with you is the trouble with me. You've got two good eyes but you still don't see...."
-- Grateful Dead, "Casey Jones"

Back when he was at UCLA, my father took a final exam in which the professor presented only a single hypothetical question requiring a yes or no answer, with the addendum, "If yes, explain."

Reasoning that the basic setup of the query begged for an affirmative response, each of my dad's classmates began scribbling furiously -- but my father simply sat at his desk and stared at the test. After a couple of minutes he went with his gut, wrote "No" in his blue book and, to the amazement of his fellow students, walked out of the room and headed straight to Santa Anita to bet on the Daily Double.

It was a hell of a gamble, and it spoke to a basic premise that applies to the NFL's bizarre courtship of former Texas quarterback Vince Young: If the available evidence tells you something is so, there's no need to overthink the question.

Or, to put it another way: Why do so many teams at or near the top of the NFL draft seem to be going to such great lengths to talk themselves out of picking Young?

Yeah, I know, Reggie Bush is fantastic, and his fellow ex-USC backfieldmate, Matt Leinart, is a ballsy leader who's probably going to be a heck of an NFL player. And while I can't say I've watched a whole lot of North Carolina State football recently, I'm sure 6-foot-7 defensive end Mario Williams has the potential to be a pass-rushing beast for some lucky team.

I'm also well aware that at the combine, Young reportedly had a subpar showing on the Wonderlic test, the same faithful measuring stick of intelligence that rated Ryan Leaf 11 points ahead of Dan Marino. And no, Young does not fit the traditional drop-back profile of a classic NFL quarterback, and he'll certainly have to adjust to the speed and complexity of pro defenses and may take some lumps in the process.

Fine. All of those points are valid. Now let me start by offering a two-word rebuttal: Rose Bowl.

Oh yeah, remember that game? My new friend LenDale White does -- more on our burgeoning relationship later -- and the ultra-confident former USC running back is still haunted by the sight of Young snatching a national title from the Trojans by the sheer force of his talent, will and poise.

Did CAA Give Leigh Steinberg "Six Figures" To "Walk Away" From Filing A Greivance Against The CAA / Tom Condon Team?

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.

Did SF Mayor -- And Friend -- Gavin Newsom Have A "Fling" With Paris Hilton?

I found this bit of news just a minute ago. If it's true, all I've got to say is Dude gets around. It does not alter the fact that he's an effective elected official. -- Zennie


John Kennedy, canada.com

Published: Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Paris Hilton had a fling with San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, according to sources -- and it might have led to his split from wife Kimberly Guilfoyle. Insiders claim Newsom had some explaining to do when Hilton's Sidekick was hacked into and his name and number came up. Not long after, he and Guilfoyle separated.

Donald Rumsfeld, Defense Secretary - Wash Post Columnist Calls For His Ouster

I agree, but who does President Bush replauce Rummy with? It's one thing to get rid of him but how do we salvage this mess?


Replace Rumsfeld
By David Ignatius
Friday, April 14, 2006; Page A17

With luck, Iraq will make a fresh start soon with the formation of a new government. The Bush administration should do the same thing by replacing Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary.

Rumsfeld has lost the support of the uniformed military officers who work for him. Make no mistake: The retired generals who are speaking out against Rumsfeld in interviews and op-ed pieces express the views of hundreds of other officers on active duty. When I recently asked an Army officer with extensive Iraq combat experience how many of his colleagues wanted Rumsfeld out, he guessed 75 percent. Based on my own conversations with senior officers over the past three years, I suspect that figure may be low.

But that isn't the reason he should be replaced. Military officers often dislike the civilians they work for, but in our system strong civilian control is essential. On some of the issues over which he has tangled with the military brass, Rumsfeld has been right. The Pentagon is a hidebound place, and it has needed the "transformation" ethic Rumsfeld brought to his job. I'm dubious about the Pentagon conventional wisdom that we needed 500,000 American troops in Iraq. More troops were necessary, but they should have been Iraqi troops from an army that wasn't disbanded.

Rumsfeld should resign because the Bush administration is losing the war on the home front. As bad as things are in Baghdad, America won't be defeated there militarily. But it may be forced into a hasty and chaotic retreat by mounting domestic opposition to its policy. Much of the American public has simply stopped believing the administration's arguments about Iraq, and Rumsfeld is a symbol of that credibility gap. He is a spent force, reduced to squabbling with the secretary of state about whether "tactical errors" were made in the war's conduct.

The Bush administration has rightly been insisting that the Iraqis put unity first and that in forming a permanent government they remove ineffectual and divisive leaders and replace them with people who can pull the country together. The administration should heed its own advice. America needs leadership that can speak to the whole country, not just the people who already agree with the president.

Rumsfeld's replacement should be someone who can help restore a bipartisan consensus for a sensible Iraq policy. One obvious candidate would be the centrist Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman. Another would be a centrist Republican with military experience, such as Sen. Chuck Hagel or Sen. John McCain. The administration would have to swallow its pride to take any of them on board, but that's the point: Without bold moves from the White House, support for the war will continue to slip away.

It now seems clear that President Bush can't erase the Iraq credibility gap on his own. He has been trying to rebuild consensus for the war for months, in a series of speeches and strategy papers. But the poll numbers keep going down. His job approval ratings have fallen below 40 percent in all the latest polls, with Post-ABC News at 38 percent, CNN-USA Today-Gallup at 37 percent and Fox-Opinion Dynamics at 36 percent. Support for the war has crumbled even more sharply. The latest Post-ABC poll found that 58 percent of the country now feels the war wasn't worth fighting, compared with 27 percent back in April 2003.

If the Iraqis can form a unity government -- and that's certainly a big "if" -- they will need America's help in pulling the country back from civil war. America now has a better military strategy for Iraq, one that puts more responsibility on Iraqi forces and emphasizes counterinsurgency tactics. And it has a political strategy that is at last reaching out to all the different Iraqi communities -- Sunni, Shiite and Kurd -- rather than to a handful of former exile leaders. This political-military strategy may fail, but it's too soon to make that call. To buy some time, the administration needs a new political base. If it continues with the same team, it will get the same result.

Rumsfeld is a stubborn man, and I suspect the parade of retired generals calling for his head has only made him more determined to hold on. But by staying in his job, Rumsfeld is hurting the cause he presumably cares most about. The president, even more stubborn than his Pentagon chief, is said to have rejected his offer to resign. If that's so, it's time for Rumsfeld to take the matter out of Bush's hands.

The administration needs to look this one clearly in the eye: Without changes that shore up public support in America, it risks losing the war in Iraq.

davidignatius@washpost.com

Matt Leinart On The Switch From Leigh Steinberg "It's Something I Would Prefer To Discuss Next Week"

I saw this on Leinart's ESPN Draft Diary today.

"My focus is 100 percent on my visit with the Jets early next week. Reporters have been asking a lot of questions about my agent situation. It is a subject that I would prefer to discuss next week."

He also says that he was in Atlanta, where I told you he ran into his ex-girlfriend....

"Editor's note: Former USC QB Matt Leinart will offer ESPN.com an exclusive look into his life in the days and weeks leading up to the NFL draft (April 29-30).

I haven't been sleeping much with all of the travel this week.

Monday, I was in Atlanta appearing for a network. Eli Manning, Matt Hasselbeck and I were appearing there and signing autographs. We went out to dinner afterwards. Eli wasn't at dinner because he had to leave town, but we hung out a lot that day. It was my first time in Atlanta. I enjoyed it. My flight from L.A. to Atlanta left at 6 a.m. on Monday morning."

NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock's Prospect List For the 2006 NFL Draft

(April 11, 2006) NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock has put together his positional rankings for the 2006 NFL Draft:

Quarterback

1. Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt
2. Matt Leinart, USC
3. Vince Young, Texas
4. Charlie Whitehurst, Clemson
5. Brodie Croyle, Alabama
6. Tarvaris Jackson, Alabama State

Interesting
Reggie McNeal, Texas A&M
Omar Jacobs, Bowling Green

Others
Brent Basanez, Northwestern
Darrell Hackney, Alabama-Birmingham
Ingle Martin, Furman
Barrick Nealy, Texas State
Michael Robinson, Penn State (slash)
D. J. Shockley, Georgia (slash)
Brad Smith, Missouri (slash)
Marcus Vick, Virginia Tech

Running Back

1. Reggie Bush, USC
2. Laurence Maroney, Minnesota
3. DeAngelo Williams, Memphis
4. LenDale White, USC
5. Joseph Addai, LSU
6. Brian Calhoun, Wisconsin
7. Maurice Drew, UCLA

Others
P.J. Daniels, Georgia Tech
Andre Hall, South Florida
Jerome Harrison, Washington State
Taurean Henderson, Texas Tech
DonTrell Moore, New Mexico
Jerious Norwood, Mississippi State
Gerald Riggs, Tennessee
Lawrence Vickers, Colorado
Leon Washington, Florida State

Wide Receiver

1. Santonio Holmes, Ohio State
2. Chad Jackson, Florida
3. Sinorice Moss, Miami (FL)
4. Demetrius Williams, Oregon
5. Maurice Stovall, Notre Dame
6. Greg Jennings, Western Michigan
7. Brandon Marshall, Central Florida
8. Derek Hagan, Arizona State
9. Brandon Williams, Wisconsin

Others
Jason Avant, Michigan
Hank Baskett, New Mexico
Will Blackmon, Boston College
Jeremy Bloom, Colorado
Skyler Green, LSU
Mike Hass, Oregon State
Martin Nance, Miami (OH)
Cory Rodgers, Texas Christian
Travis Wilson, Oklahoma

Tight End

1. Vernon Davis, Maryland
2. Marcedes Lewis, UCLA
3. Anthony Fasano, Notre Dame
4. Joe Klopfenstein, Colorado
5. David Thomas, Texas
6. Leonard Pope, Georgia
7. Dominique Byrd, USC

Others
Owen Daniels, Wisconsin
Tim Day, Oregon
Garrett Mills, Tulsa
Tony Scheffler, Western Michigan
T.J. Williams, North Carolina State

Offensive Tackle

1. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Virginia
2. Winston Justice, USC
3. Eric Winston, Miami (FL)
4. Daryn Colledge, Boise State
5. Andrew Whitworth, LSU
6. Marcus McNeill, Auburn

Others
Rashad Butler, Miami
Paul McQuistan, Weber State
Ryan OCallaghan, California
Jonathan Scott, Texas
Zach Strief, Northwestern
Jeremy Trueblood, Boston College

Interior Offensive Line

1. Nick Mangold, Ohio State (center)
2. Davin Joseph, Oklahoma (guard)
3. Max Jean-Gilles, Georgia (guard)
4. Deuce Lutui, USC (guard)
5. Chris Chester, Oklahoma (center)
6. Charles Spencer, Pittsburgh (guard)
7. Fred Matua, USC (guard)
8. Rob Sims, Ohio State (center)

Small Schools
Jahri Evans, Bloomsburg (PA) (guard)
Kevin Boothe, Cornell (guard)

Others
Ryan Cook, New Mexico (center)
Greg Eslinger, Minnesota (center)
Pat Ross, Boston College (center)
Jason Spitz, Louisville (guard)

Defensive End

1. Mario Williams, NC State
2. Mathias Kiwanuka, Boston College
3. Daryl Tapp, Va Tech
4. Tamba Hali, Penn State
5. Manny Lawson, North Carolina State
6. Parys Haralson, Tennessee

Others
Victor Adeyanju, Indiana
Mark Anderson, Alabama
Elvis Dumervil, Louisville
Ray Edwards, Purdue
Chris Gocong, Cal. State San Luis Obispo
Jason Hatcher, Grambling
Eric Henderson, Georgia Tech
Julian Jenkins, Stanford
Ryan LaCasse, Syracuse
Rob Ninkovich, Purdue
James Wyche, Syracuse

Defensive Tackle

1. Brodrick Bunkley, Florida St.
2. Haloti Ngata, Oregon
3. Claude Wroten, LSU
4. John McCargo, NC State
5. Gabe Watson, Michigan

Others
Barry Cofield, Northwestern
Dusty Dvoracek, Oklahoma
Orien Harris, Miami (FL)
Johnny Jolly, Texas A&M
Johnathan Lewis, Virginia Tech
Jesse Mahelona, Tennessee
Babatunde Oshinowo, Stanford
Montavious Stanley, Louisville
Kyle Williams, LSU
Rodrique Wright, Texas

Linebacker

1. A.J. Hawk, Ohio State
2. Ernie Sims, Florida St.
3. Chad Greenway, Iowa
4. Kamerion Wimbley, Florida St. (OLB)
5. D'Qwell Jackson, Maryland
6. Rocky McIntosh, Miami (FL)
7. DeMeco Ryans, Alabama
8. Bobby Carpenter, Ohio State

Others
Jon Alston, Stanford
Omar Gaither, Tennessee
Abdul Hodge, Iowa
Thomas Howard, UTEP
Clint Ingram, Oklahoma
Brian Iwuh, Colorado
A.J. Nicholson, Florida State
Kai Parham, Virginia
Freddie Roach, Alabama
Dale Robinson, Arizona State
Gerris Wilkinson, Georgia Tech

Cornerback

1. Michael Huff, Texas
2. Jonathan Joseph, South Carolina
3. Tye Hill, Clemson
4. Antonio Cromartie, Florida State
5. Jimmy Williams, Virginia Tech
6. Kelly Jennings, Miami (FL)
7. Richard Marshall, Fresno State

Others
Antoine Bethea, Howard
Will Blackmon, Boston College
Charles Gordon, Kansas
Cedric Griffin, Texas
Devin Hester, Miami (FL)
Marcus Hudson, North Carolina State
Darrell Hunter, Miami (OH)
Tim Jennings, Georgia
Danieal Manning, Abilene Christian
Marcus Maxey, Miami (FL)
DeMario Minter, Georgia
Anwar Phillips, Penn State
David Pittman, Northwestern State
Dee Webb, Florida
Ashton Youboty, Ohio State
Alan Zemaitis, Penn State

Safety

1. Jason Allen, Tennessee
2. Donte Whitner, Ohio State
3. Daniel Bullocks, Nebraska
4. Anthony Smith, Syracuse
5. Darnell Bing, USC
6. Ko Simpson, South Carolina
7. Roman Harper, Alabama

Others :
Greg Blue, Georgia
Tra Boger, Tulane
Reed Doughty, Northern Colorado
Dawan Landry, Georgia Tech
Calvin Lowry, Penn State
Bernard Pollard, Purdue
Dwayne Slay, Texas Tech
Scott Ware, USC
Pat Watkins, Florida State

The South Park "Mohammed" Episode Was On Last Night...

and I found it totally funny. It was the most daring segment I've even seen from the South Park creators.

Wow.

Colts' Best Bet: UCLA's Maurice Drew - Reggie Bush's Key Rival

If the Indianapolis Colts -- in search of a running back to take over for the departed-for-Arizona Edgerrin James -- are concerned that they may not be able to get Reggie Bush, there's one player that may still be on the board by the time their turn at #30 comes around in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft: UCLA's Maurice Drew.

Here's Bush's workout stats:

40 yard dash - 4.33
225 lbs reps - 24
Vertical Jump - 40.5 inches

Now keep in mind that Bush did this at USC's Pro Day, a full month after the NFL Combine, where UCLA's Maurice Drew participated. This means that Reggie had a full month to workout to beat Drew's stats:

40 yard dash - 4.39
225 lbs reps - 18
Vertical Jump - 36 inches

Drew compares favorably with Bush, and like his rival can take over a game. If the Colts can get him, he's an even better value than Lendale White.

USC Running Back Lendale White Stands Up SI's Mike Silver; Suffers Decrease In Draft Status

Note to Lendale White: If you want to maintain your first round pick status in the 2006 NFL Draft, don't stand up Sports Illustrated Senior Writer and Cal Bear Michael Silver.

Now, you've got bad press.

But from a PR Perspective, there's just press, right?

Maybe White's bad hamstring was to blame. It could also be a part of an elaborate ploy to cause White to fall into the waiting arms of a winning organization.

The ploy could backfire.

CAA's Tom Condon's Was Sued For Violation of NFLPA Regulation Section 3 (B) 3 In 2003

Yesterday, I reported that CAA's Football Agent Tom Condon, formerly of IMG, may have violated several sections of the National Football League Player's Association (NFLPA) regulations guiding agent conduct in the matter of USC Quaterback Matt Leinart.

Today, I uncovered this recent report by Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal, written September of 2003. It, combined with the more recent allegations involving Leinart, suggest player contact practices that should be reviewed by the NFLPA.

Mullen's report applies to NFLPA Regulation Section 3 (B) 3 -- Providing or offering money or any other thing of value to a member of the player's or prospective player's family or any other person for the purpose of inducing or encouraging that person to recommend the services of the Contract Advisor; Providing materially false or misleading information to any player or prospective player in the context of recruiting the player as a client or in the course of representing that player.

LAWSUIT TARGETS IMG FOOTBALL CHIEF CONDON

September 8, 2003
SportsBusiness Journal

By Liz Mullen

IMG Football President Tom Condon falsely told top NFL draft prospects that a rival agent "played the race card" in negotiations with NFL clubs in an effort to damage the agent and win recruiting battles, according to claims in a lawsuit filed in Philadelphia federal court.

NFL player agent Lamont Smith, who is black, claims in the suit that Condon, who is white, and Cleveland-based IMG slandered him in their efforts to win recruiting battles.

An IMG spokeswoman and an attorney for IMG both declined to comment. Condon did not return phone calls.

"It is a defamation of character, slander lawsuit stemming from a systematic pattern that Tom Condon has engaged in against me personally, and our firm," said Smith, a principal of All Pro Sports & Entertainment, which represents about 60 NFL players, including Eddie George, Jerome Bettis and retired running back Barry Sanders.

"He has basically stated to kids, repeatedly, that general managers have been reluctant to deal with me because of the interjection of race in negotiations, which is patently false," Smith said. "The apparent intent is to blackball. It leads a player to think you are not accepted in NFL circles, which could not be further from the truth."

The lawsuit claims that in the last three years, Condon told players Antonio Bryant, Kenyatta Walker and Larry Johnson, and/or their advisers, that Smith was known to use race in contract negotiations. The suit says the comments were made while Condon and Smith were competing to sign players before the 2001, 2002 and 2003 NFL drafts.

"Condon may have told other current and prospective NFL players... that they should not become clients of plaintiff Smith because Smith had alienated general managers of NFL clubs by 'playing the race card,' " the suit states.

The suit against Condon, who leads a practice that represents about 85 NFL players and who is widely considered to be the most powerful football agent in the country, is just the latest in a slew of lawsuits filed against or by major NFL player agents.

Octagon's football division was sued by three agents in the last two years, although one of those suits was dismissed for lack of evidence. Agent Hadley Engelhard has filed suit against his top recruiter, asking a court to enjoin the recruiter from working with his clients who were first-round NFL draft picks.

Last fall, NFL player agent Leigh Steinberg won a $44.66 million judgment against his former protégé, agent David Dunn, and his rival firm when a jury found that Dunn engaged in unfair competition.

George Croner, Smith's attorney, said the lawsuit could have a chilling effect on what is considered to be a widespread practice by agents of making negative comments about their rivals while recruiting athletes.

Croner said Condon's comments go far beyond standard competition.

"If you tell a kid that another agent has a problem with general managers... and if you embellish on it by saying the reason they don't like him is this highly inflammatory issue of playing the race card with general managers who are almost invariably white, you have created an explosive situation," he said.

Croner added that the result of the case "will not be found in documents. It will be found in the testimony of witnesses."

Roy Kessel, chairman of the Chicago Bar Association's Sports Law Committee and a certified NFL player agent, said Smith's case against Condon may be difficult to prove because Smith does not represent all the players named in the suit. Smith represents Bryant. Condon represents Walker. Agent Marvin Demoff represents Johnson.

"If you don't have the player, you will be hard-pressed for them to testify," Kessel said.

But Greg Genske, an attorney with San Francisco law firm Morgan Lewis who was part of the litigation team that won the $44.66 million judgment in the Steinberg case, noted that NFL players can be subpoenaed.

"I think it's easy to get to the truth with the players because at the end of the day they are not going to lie to protect an agent," said Genske, who cross-examined several NFL players during the Steinberg trial. "I don't think they would lie to protect Mr. Condon or lie to support trumped-up, fabricated allegations against Mr. Condon."

Again, the ball's in the court of the NFLPA.

Profootballtalk.com Reports That Leinart Team Wanted Steinberg Fired Because Houston Would Not Trade Up To Get USC Signal Caller

I found this item at Profootballtalk.com:

LEINART CAMP TRYING TO PERSUADE TITANS TO TAKE MATT

The same source who tipped us off over the weekend to the looming termination of agent Leigh Steinberg by USC quarterback Matt Leinart tells us that the driving force behind the change was the lack of interest that the Titans were demonstrating in the 2004 Heisman winner.

The source says that Titans G.M. Floyd Reese is leaning toward Texas quarterback Vince Young, and Titans coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Norm Chow want Leinart.

The source also tells us that Chow recently informed Leinart that Reese won't trade up to the No. 1 overall spot in order to get Leinart.

Co-agent Chuck Price, who will remain a member of Team Leinart in the wake of the Steinberg termination, supposedly has told Reese that the failure to land Leinart will be the biggest draft gaffe in team history.

Apparently, Reese is now on the fence.

Per the source, Leinart will sign with Tom Condon after the five-day waiting period expires following Leinart's termination, and Condon and Price will work together. Condon's pitch, as we recently heard, was that he'll get either the Titans or the Jets to trade up to No. 1 with the Houston Texans.

The long-term plan, we're told, is for Price to learn the ropes of the agent business over the next couple of years, with an eye toward being the lead agent for Leinart's second contract. (We suspect that Condon hasn't gotten that memo.)

The broader question, as we see it, is whether these goings-on will raise a red flag for any team that otherwise will be interested in Leinart. There's already a question as to whether he has a sufficient passion for the pro game. And his pro day workout was hardly a show stopper.

So by trying to force his way into the No. 1 spot, the risk could be that Leinart slides even lower than he otherwise might have gone.

Stay tuned.

It still does not adress the matter of how Condon came to be hired by Team Leinart. Who gave Leinart the idea that Houston could be "made" to want to trade up? They didn't just come to that view after a night of reflection. All signs point to how Condon handled himself in this affair.

It's still up to the NFLPA.

BREAKING NEWS: CAA's Tom Condon May Have Cheated In Drawing Matt Leinart Away From Leigh Steinberg -- The Only Question Is What Will The NFLPA Do?

I have it from a confidential source that NFL Player Agent Tom Condon (pictured at left), formerly of IMG and now with Creative Artists Agency, may have violated key rules established by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) in an effort to draw USC Quarterback Matt Leinart away from Sports Agent Leigh Steinberg (photo below left).

NFLPA regulations on the conduct of agents -- referred to as contract advisors -- are strict. The areas of NFLPA regulations that apply to what I wil call "The Leinart Case" are:

From The NFLPA Website:

Section 3 (B) B. Prohibited Conduct
Contract Advisors are prohibited from:

1. Representing any player in individual contract negotiations with any Club unless he/she (i) is an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor; (ii) has signed the Standard Representation Agreement with such player; and (iii) has filed a copy of the Standard Representation Agreement with the NFLPA along with any other contract(s) or agreement(s) between the player and the Contract Advisor;

2. Providing or offering money or any other thing of value to any player or prospective player to induce or encourage that player to utilize his/her services;

3. Providing or offering money or any other thing of value to a member of the player's or prospective player's family or any other person for the purpose of inducing or encouraging that person to recommend the services of the Contract Advisor;
Providing materially false or misleading information to any player or prospective player in the context of recruiting the player as a client or in the course of representing that player.

4. Representing or suggesting to any player or prospective player that his/her NFLPA Certification is an endorsement or recommendation by the NFLPA of the Contract Advisor or the Contract Advisor's qualifications or services;

But it's Section 3 (B) (Prohibited Conduct), Paragraph 21 that Condon is in true violation of. It states:

Section 3 (B) 21. (a) Initiating any communication, directly or indirectly, with a player who has entered into a Standard Representation Agreement with another Contract Advisor and such Standard Representation Agreement is on file with the NFLPA if the communication concerns a matter relating to the:
(i) Player's current Contract Advisor;
(ii) Player's current Standard Representation Agreement;
(iii) Player's contract status with any NFL Club(s); or
(iv) Services to be provided by prospective Contract Advisor either through a Standard Representation Agreement or otherwise.
(b) If a player, already a party to a Standard Representation Agreement, initiates communication with a Contract Advisor relating to any of the subject matters listed in Section 3(B)(21)(a) the Contract Advisor may continue communications with the Player regarding any of those matters.
(c) Section 3(B)(21) shall not apply to any player who has less than sixty (60) days remaining before his NFL Player Contract expires, and he has not yet signed a new Standard Representation Agreement with a Contract Advisor within the sixty (60) day period.
(d) Section 3(B)(21) shall not prohibit a Contract Advisor from sending a player written materials which may be reasonably interpreted as advertising directed at players in general and not targeted at a specific player.

Published reports from several sources confirm what my source knows: that Condon violated "Paragraph 21" in his pursuit of Matt Leinart. For example, Profootballtalk.com had this information, which could not be directly linked to because of the design of its site. I copied it:

POSTED 9:24 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:42 p.m. EDT, April 11, 2006

LEINART "DEFINITELY" HIRING CONDON

We've heard from yet another source that USC quarterback Matt Leinart "definitely" is hiring Tom Condon of Creative Artists Agency to replace Leigh Steinberg, whom Leinart recently has terminated.

The talk in league circles is that Condon and CAA have told Leinart that they will persuade either the Jets or the Titans to swing a deal with the Texans to make Leinart the No. 1 overall selection in the draft. If that's true, the Condon potentially has run afoul of the NFLPA regulations that impose a five-day waiting period before a new agent can swoop in.

But don't assume that the NFLPA will take any action, given that Condon also represents NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw.

We haven't confirmed whether Chuck Price will be involved in the ongoing representation of Leinart, but we've previously heard that Price will still be a part of the team, working directly with Condon.

The timing of the conversations between Leinart and Condon is such that Condon was tampering with Steinberg's client, Matt Leinart.

My source said, "They (Condon working for CAA) probably used the old IMG model: (Where they may have told Leinart) We'll take a reduced fee and a bit more up front, and by the way, we'll get your Dad a job."

If this is 100 percent true, and it appears to be approaching 80 percent truth, Condon's also in violation of NFLPA Section 3 (B), Paragraph 3, which reads:

3. Providing or offering money or any other thing of value to a member of the player's or prospective player's family or any other person for the purpose of inducing or encouraging that person to recommend the services of the Contract Advisor;
Providing materially false or misleading information to any player or prospective player in the context of recruiting the player as a client or in the course of representing that player.

The question is what will the NFLPA do? My well-placed source reports that not only is Tom Condon NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw's agent, but NFLPA attorney Jeffrey Kessler's son works for Condon. (Kessler's pictured at right.)

Given this, it's very possible Condon could have communicated to Leinart that he's the representative of the NFLPA's Executive Director and therefore has special authorization to contact Leinart in so forward a way as he's done. Now, I'm piling on; there's already too much information. But if that were the case, Condon's stepped over the bounds of Section 3 (B), Paragraph 4, which reads:

4. Representing or suggesting to any player or prospective player that his/her NFLPA Certification is an endorsement or recommendation by the NFLPA of the Contract Advisor or the Contract Advisor's qualifications or services;

Stay tuned. It's going to get worse before it gets better.