Jay-Z’s Roc Nations Sports agency has been one of the business mogul’s boldest moves to date. Partnering with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for the venture, the Brooklyn bomber is faced with a dilemma that could put his sports agent aims in jeopardy. The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) said that Jay-Z cannot sign players unless he becomes certified by the association.
In a FORBES report, rival agents made a fuss about Jay-Z entering their world unencumbered, saying that Hov violated a rule set by the NFLPA that he isn’t allowed to sign players to CAA until he’s gained his certification.
CAA recently recruited New York Giants star player Victor Cruz away from another agency, causing the mild controversy. Although Jay’s recruitment of Cruz is a violation, the NFLPA excused it on the merit of the pair’s longstanding friendship. To be clear, CAA agent Ben Dogra is listed as Cruz’s contract advisor and keeps Jay off the hook.
Now, Mr. Carter aims to join the fray in order to help close deals himself as an agent. Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal tweeted yesterday (April 15), “Jay-Z’s sports agency will hire established agents in multiple sports as well as have its own employees, including Jay-Z himself, certified.”
The tweet was a companion to her full article regarding Roc Nation Sports and their ambitious plans, and noted that the soonest Jay-Z can take the NFLPA’s test in January 2014. Further, Jay does not have a post-graduate degree; he will have to prove he has at least seven years of negotiating experience in order to be certified. As the former President of Def Jam and current Roc Nation honcho, Jay-Z has done his share of deals.
As previously reported, Jay-Z signed New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano to CAA. Under the deal, CAA will handle all of Cano’s player contracts while Roc Nation will focus on outside marketing. As reported by Bloomberg, Jay-Z applied for a Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) agent certification last week.
It has not been reported if the MLBPA application process will be tough as the NFLPA’s requirements.
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Photo: Mel Evans/AP
