Drew Rosenhaus | |
|---|---|
 Rosenhaus in 2003 | |
| Born | (1966-10-29)October 29, 1966 (age 59) South Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Miami Duke University School of Law |
| Occupation | NFL sports agent |
| Years active | 1989–present |
Drew Jordan Rosenhaus (born October 29, 1966) is an Americansports agent who represents professional football players. He owns theMiami-based sports agency Rosenhaus Sports, and has negotiated over $7 billion ofNFL contracts.[1][2][3]
Rosenhaus was born on October 29, 1966, inSouth Orange, New Jersey. Four years later his family moved toNorth Miami,Florida. When young, Rosenhaus was a fan of theMiami Dolphins and attended home games and practices.[4][5]
Rosenhaus attended theUniversity of Miami School of Business at theUniversity of Miami inCoral Gables, Florida, where he graduated in 1987. He attended law school atDuke University School of Law, graduating with aJuris Doctor in 1990.[5][6][7]
In 1989, Rosenhaus became a registered sports agent and at the age of 22, he was the youngest registered sports agent at the time.[1][2][4] As a University of Miamialumnus, many of his clients and contacts came from theMiami Hurricanes football program.[6][7]
His company operates under the name Rosenhaus Sports Representation (RSR). Other principals in the firm include Rosenhaus' brother Jason, who serves as the firm's vice president, and Robert Bailey, the firm's director of marketing.[8]
After the2011 NFL Lockout, Rosenhaus negotiated more than 90 contracts, worth about $600 million, in one month.[4]
In 2022, Rosenhaus negotiated a four-year, $120 million contract for thenKansas City Chiefs'wide receiverTyreek Hill with theMiami Dolphins, which made Hill the highest paid wide receiver in NFL history by average annual contract value and total guaranteed compensation.[9]
Rosenhaus represents more than 170 players, including several high-profile clients, many of which are known for having eccentric personalities.[4] Notable players Rosenhaus has represented or represents includeAaron Jones,Antonio Brown,Chad Johnson,Frank Gore,Rex Grossman,Rob Gronkowski,LeSean McCoy,Jimmy Smith,Plaxico Burress,Terrell Owens,Tyreek Hill,Warren Sapp, andDarren Waller.[4][5][10][11][12]
In January 2003,University of Miami running backWillis McGahee suffered a complex and serious knee injury in his final college game during theFiesta Bowl, the national championship game that year. One month later, he signed with Rosenhaus who predicted that, despite the injury, McGahee would be a first round NFL draft pick in the2003 NFL draft.[13] During the draft, cameras would cut to live shots of McGahee and Rosenhaus talking on their cell phones, giving the impression that they were communicating with teams, even though they were in fact speaking with each other. TheBuffalo Bills selected McGahee in the first round as the 23rd overall choice in the draft. After reconstructive surgery and physical rehabilitation, McGahee signed a five-year contract with the Bills worth about $16 million.[1][13]
After the 2005Terrell Owens controversy with thePhiladelphia Eagles, Rosenhaus attended a press conference with the client. Rosenhaus responded to the majority of journalists' inquiries by asking for the "next question." The incident contributed to the title of Rosenhaus's second bookNext Question: An NFL Super Agent's Proven Game Plan for Business Success.[14][15]
In March 2016, after his previous agent terminated their contract, Rosenhaus began to representJohnny Manziel, the first freshman in the history ofcollege football to win theHeisman Trophy, on the condition that Manziel sought treatment forsubstance abuse. On April 19, after only representing Manziel for a month, Rosenhaus ended his contract with Manziel because he never met his deadline to seek treatment.[16]
In 2005, theNFLPA suspended Rosenhaus for two weeks and fined him for violating its agent regulations. The investigation stemmed from his role in representing wide receiverTerrell Owens during Owens's contentious holdout from thePhiladelphia Eagles. The union found that Rosenhaus failed to properly file required paperwork regarding the representation and made prohibited phone calls to Owens while he was still under contract with another agent. Rosenhaus accepted the penalty, calling it a "technical, minor violation."[17]
In 2012, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) launched an investigation into whether Rosenhaus's close business ties withJeff Rubin caused him to breach his fiduciary duties to his clients.[18][19] Rubin convinced numerousNFL players, including at least 18 Rosenhaus clients such asTerrell Owens,Jevon Kearse andFrank Gore to invest in a failedAlabama casino project.[20][21] Bankrupty filings indicated players lost as much as $43.6 million in this venture.Terrell Owens stated that Rosenhaus recommended Rubin to him, saying, "We recommend you use Jeff... we trust him".[22] Owens and other players believed Rosenhaus bore responsibility for their losses. In response, Rosenhaus maintained he was also a victim, had no prior knowledge of Rubin's actions, and did not formally endorse financial advisors to his clients.[22]
A dispute with clientDeSean Jackson led to a controversy regarding the arbitration process itself. In 2016, a federal judge vacated an NFLPA arbitration award that had been in Rosenhaus's favor against Jackson.[23] The judge ruled that the arbitrator, Roger Kaplan, failed to disclose a "highly unusual" prior financial relationship with Rosenhaus, having been paid $140,000 by Rosenhaus to arbitrate a separate dispute with former employee Danny Martoe. The judge found this created an impression of "evident partiality". Following this, a different arbitrator was appointed to rehear the dispute over the $516,415 Rosenhaus contended Jackson owed him.[23]
Rosenhaus is the author of two books. The first is his autobiographyA Shark Never Sleeps: Wheeling and Dealing with the NFL's Most Ruthless Agent, published in 1997.[24] The second book, published in 2008, isNext Question: An NFL Super Agent's Proven Game Plan for Business Success.[14] In 1996, he became the first sports agent to be on the cover ofSports Illustrated.[5]
He has been featured on several television programs includingCBS's60 Minutes,[4]HBO'sReal Sports with Bryant Gumbel[25] andShowtime'sInside the NFL.[10] Additionally, Rosenhaus appeared as himself on the sitcomArli$$ and is a weekly contributor on "Sports Xtra,"WSVN Miami's Sunday night sports wrap-up show.[26] He was also featured inESPN documentariesThe U andThe Dotted Line.[27][28]
Rosenhaus has appeared in commercials forBurger King and ESPN'sSportscenter.[29][30][31]
Rosenhaus made a cameo appearance in the 1996 filmJerry Maguire. Also, the persona of Jerry Maguire was reportedly based on Rosenhaus.[4] In 1998, he appeared as himself in theHBO series,Arli$$.[32] In 1999, he appeared in the movie about professional football,Any Given Sunday.
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