*Can You Smell What the Roc is Cooking?

[HalfEatenOnionBagel]

In one of the more exciting media days in recent NSFL history, a plethora of star players, including Benson Bayley, Vladimir Fyodorovich and S10 first overall draft pick D’Pez Poopsie, have announced that they will be signing with the player agency Roc Nation Sports. While player agent conglomerates are basically nonexisent and sometimes even outlawed in leagues such as the NSFL, it seems that an overwhelming interest of players to be involved with the infamous agency have allowed it to once again make headlines across the league and find its way back to the negotiating table just in time for the newest wave of NSFL rookies to sign their rookie deals. Many long time NSFL fans will recall the brief but notorious history of Roc Nation Sports and founder Jay-Z in the league in representing Matt James during his holdout at the beginning of S2 that lead to likely the most bitter rookie holdout in league history. Many will also recall that almost every player represented by the agency at the time was banned from playing in the league for life after discovering that these players were part of an illegal underground TPE sharing program that surprisingly lasted for multiple seasons. It was believed that Roc Nation Sports was actually facilitating this illegal behavior, however the fact that the agency has made its way back into the league, and that multiple agents that represent Roc Nation are among those former players, seems to suggest that the banned players being involved with Roc Nation was merely just a coincidence.

It seems that the grudge against Jay-Z and his def jam agent crew remains strong across the league, however, as tight restrictions on the agency have been imposed by the head office, leading to arguments on both sides for and against extending its reach. This really raises the question of whether or not an organization like this is good for the league. While there are guidelines in place to ensure that more skilled players are paid more, the salary cap remains extremely tight and certainly more can be done in helping players earn what they deserve and have worked hard for. It happens far too often that a player undervalues their worth or finds themselves stuck in a detrimental contract, simply because they didn’t have a good perspective on the league and how to structure their deal. An agency like Roc Nation is definitely to the benefit of the players, not only by having someone to lobby for them, but also to have an entity composed of multiple players across the league united together in the face of tyranny. Whether or not Roc Nation survives remains to be seen as it is clear that as of now the league will do whatever it can to impose restrictions on it or any other agency that hopes to be a part of the league. There is certainly room for an agency in the league however, and considering the tremendous support that so many players across the league have shown for Roc Nation, with the right leadership, agents and flexibility, player agencies may finally be able to maintain a true presence within the NSFL. Whether or not Roc Nation, which is currently in violation of the rules imposed by HO for agencies, is the first one to truly do it remains to be seen. Regardless, the ability for players to stand up for themselves and unite together for their own safety financially, mentally and physically, is something that should not be shied away from and Roc Nation should be applauded for its efforts to bring these issues to the forefront.