Willis McGahee's Health

[Bored 0]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-hyd...Dsports%2Dfront

 

HYDE: Agent used some tricks to make McGahee a first-rounder

Published April 27, 2003

 

 

The big lie began whenever Drew Rosenhaus answered one of his four cell phones these past two months, selling Willis McGahee to reporters as some medical miracle, telling NFL teams which rival worked him out last and guaranteeing everyone his client was a set-in-stone No. 1 draft pick, something the agent didn't believe himself.

 

Even at the road's end Saturday, everyone was played for a stooge. Rosenhaus sat in his waterside home beside McGahee, just seconds from going live on ESPN as they still sweated where the draft would land them.

 

Suddenly, McGahee's cell phone rang. The running back's face twisted upon seeing the incoming number.

 

"Yeah, it's me," Rosenhaus mumbled into his phone, looking straight ahead into the TV camera with a pasted-on smile. "Pretend I'm an NFL team calling you. Look happy."

 

McGahee kept the phone to his ear.

 

"Maybe we can get some team that's watching to think we're talking to other teams," Rosenhaus said as ESPN displayed them on the screen.

 

It was all so staged you didn't know whether to scoff or laugh, hiss or applaud, call Rosenhaus a slimeball or a super agent. And this is how it was since February. It's how he manipulated the McGahee market to the point that when Buffalo made McGahee a first-round millionaire and the story of the draft, there were actually two stories.

 

First, there was the story everyone knew, the one that began with the University of Miami star blowing out his knee in the national championship game against Ohio State. Who didn't feel for him? And pity his lost draft status from top-three pick to projected fourth-rounder? And who wasn't impressed by his hard work after surgery or enjoy his cry for joy after Buffalo took him?

 

"Go ahead, let it out," his mother said, wiping a tear as it rolled down his cheek.

 

"Oh, man, oh, man," he said as the tears fell.

 

Then there was the story no one saw. The story of the big lie. It was the one where he created an image of desire out of thin air. He began by working the media like putty, playing off a writer's or camera's natural willingness to trade access for a feel-good story.

 

"Everybody bought into this idea he was making a miraculous recovery," Rosenhaus said after the draft. "The media made it easy -- made it so easy -- by repeating what I was saying about him being a first-round pick. Remember, I guaranteed in February he'd be the first running back taken [he was]."

 

How much of that was just hopeful hot air?

 

"A lot of it," he said.

 

Oh, there were serious doubts where it mattered. Let's note that. At the Indianapolis combine, for example, a few team doctors huddled together in a rare moment of note-comparing. "Why's all this being written about him walking without a limp and being way ahead of schedule?" one asked.

 

"His knee looks like you'd expect -- a train wreck," another said.

 

Still, the headlines sparked talk. And the talk created a fans' debate. And that environment allowed teams to consider McGahee not as a risk but a reward. And Rosenhaus kept fanning every exaggerated angle.

 

One example: It was true New England coach Bill Belichick came to Miami and personally worked out McGahee, as Rosenhaus phoned in and everyone reported from New England to, well, the Sun-Sentinel ("McGahee Fit Enough For Tryout With Pats" read the April 3 headline).

 

"What I didn't tell everyone was Belichick was down to work out six Miami players and Willis was just one of them," Rosenhaus said. "So the perception was Belichick was here just for McGahee. See how it worked?"

 

He did it again when New England and Washington had their trainer examine McGahee. And he called ESPN, which featured McGahee's recovery before the draft -- "A miraculous recovery," Chris Berman called it Saturday.

 

His physical therapist, Ed Garabedian, watched and said, "The knee's ahead of schedule. But he's got a lot of work ahead of him. It's a long-term deal, not short-term."

 

Meanwhile, Rosenhaus watched the ESPN debate with glee. "This is great, believe me," he said to McGahee's silent mother. "The fact they're talking about him and we're at the 19th pick is terrific. Someone's going to grab him."

 

He then coached McGahee on what to say on ESPN to encourage a team to pick him: "Say everything's going great, that whatever team picks you is going to get their money out of you."

 

Then he pulled the phone trick, calling McGahee just before going on the air. After which, his lieutenant and brother, Jason, said, "That probably got a couple teams nervous."

 

"May have," Drew said.

 

Did any of this sway Buffalo into grabbing McGahee with the 23rd pick, a position not even mentioned weeks ago? Buffalo never checked McGahee's knee beyond the two NFL-scheduled dates. Never had a personal workout. Never called his doctor, his physical therapist or Rosenhaus.

 

Maybe it was playing a silent game of its own. Or maybe in a stage full of stooges, it just became the final one.

 

"Maybe they saw Belichick's interest and grabbed Willis," Rosenhaus said.

 

Dave Hyde can be reached at [email protected].

[Guest Choken One]

Eh...It doesn't bother me...I look at McGahee as a Intelligent Business Man...

[Guest Vern Gagne]

An underhanded sports agent....What's this world coming to!

[Guest PencilJobber]

I got to say doesn't surprise me what do people expect an Agent to say"No he isn't doing very good he won't play for atleast a year" of course not he is expected to over sell his player and make him look like some miracle man he gets paid to get his player the best deal and that comes with making him a first round pick.

 

I say the Agent did his job and did his best for his client was it under-handed sure but whoever expected him to tell it like it is,is just ignorant.I personally think Magahee will probably give Buffalo there money worth I also believe they didn't positivly believe he would be ready this year but think he will come back and be a superstar i don't think they drafted him blind they would have spent hours and hours reading doctors notes and examining it from every angle.

 

BTW I saw his injury for the first time yesterday during the draft the way his knee bended was the sickest injury i've ever seen

[Guest Vern Gagne]

No question the agent did his job.He's still underhanded though.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I wanna see Bps respond to this thread

[Guest Vern Gagne]

I'd guess bps21 is happy his team got McGahee and doesn't care what McGahee's agent did.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

My response is this:

 

GM Tom Donahoe does not have one put over on him. Period.

 

I'll put his Buffalo track record against anyone elses in the league.

 

He said going in he had his eye on one player...and he took him. If he can't play this year...we don't need him to. If he never pans out...it was still worth the risk becuase the upside is far higher than taking the 9th best D-Linemen on the board...who we ended up getting in the next round anyway.

[Guest Marvel Man X]

BTW I saw his injury for the first time yesterday during the draft the way his knee bended was the sickest injury i've ever seen

 

You must of never seen Sid's injury.

[Guest the pinjockey]

Nothing I have seen comes close to that, McGahee is about a .4 Sid.

[Guest DrTom]

Good job by Drew Rosenhaus. I hope McGahee works out well for Buffalo. Personally, there's no way I would have spent a first-round pick (and first-round money) on someone who's had two major knee injuries by age 20, and who shouldn't meaningfully contribute to my team this year.

[Guest Flyboy]

Nothing I have seen comes close to that, McGahee is about a .4 Sid.

I can watch Sid's injury because the damn thing looks so fake.

 

I have to turn when they show McGahee's.

[Guest Flyboy]

Personally, there's no way I would have spent a first-round pick (and first-round money) on someone who's had two major knee injuries by age 20, and who shouldn't meaningfully contribute to my team this year.

The money might be well-spent if McGahee turns out to be great for Buffalo.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Here's what's most important:

 

Travis Henry fumbles all the time...and even with that hit that destroyed his knee...

 

McGahee held onto the ball

[Guest Flyboy]

BUT the Bills had Gary for Henry's backup. Oh well.. what's done is done.

 

Why are we talking about about McGahee, anyways? It's all about New England + Mr. Texas Tech.

[Guest DrTom]

The money might be well-spent IF McGahee turns out to be great for Buffalo.

Emphasis added.

 

It all comes down to whether McGahee is perceived as an acceptable risk. I think he is... in the second round. In the first round, I think you need to pick someone who's more of a sure thing. Not that there really is a "sure thing" in the NFL draft, but you know what I mean.

[Guest the pinjockey]

BUT the Bills had Gary for Henry's backup. Oh well.. what's done is done.

 

Why are we talking about about McGahee, anyways? It's all about New England + Mr. Texas Tech.

So you want us to talk about the next David Klingler who will be sitting on the bench as a third string QB instead of McGahee?

[Guest DrTom]

It's all about New England + Mr. Texas Tech.

New England has had success with sixth-round quarterbacks before. However, at least Brady was a good bet not to fall on his face taking a snap from under center and dropping back five steps. Kingsbury put up some impressive numbers, but he strikes me as a system QB who has a loooooooong road ahead of him to find success in the NFL.

[Guest Flyboy]

Goddamnit. I was being sarcastic about Kingsbury!

[Guest DrTom]

Bah, you rode his jock too long for us to believe that.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Let me defend by saying this:

 

Given our needs and what was left on the board at the time we probably would have selected DE Chris Kelsay with that pick. Luck has it he fell to us in the second round.

 

Let's look at this logically as to why the Bills can afford to take the risk:

 

1. Drew Bledsoe was our first round pick this year.

 

2. If we were Arizona we wouldn't have put the tag on our #2 reciever...and never would have had that pick anyway.

 

If we were like most teams out there we would have only had a 2nd this year and with Kelsay falling to that pick we would have been THRILLED with the pick.

 

Now we got McGahee for free.

 

It's a ballsy pick...but the fact that we had that draft pick in the first place was a result of balls.

 

We were supposed to be without a #1 pick...and we ended up with Bledsoe, McGahee and Kelsay...and when Peerless was traded we used his franshise tag money to sign Takeo Spikes.

 

I think it's worth the risk.

 

This was a weak draft. We could take the DLineman that everyone else passed on with our first pick because he could provide depth on the team...or we could take a chance on a risky but special player that you just don't get at #23 of a draft this weak.

[Guest Flyboy]

Bah, you rode his jock too long for us to believe that.

Do I mark for Kingsbury? Yes.

 

Why? He played for Texas Tech (and I live in Lubbock where TTU is located).

 

Did I want to see him drafted? Yes.

 

Do I think he will have success? No.

[Guest cartman]

Kingsbury wont even be on the Pats active roster come next season. He is Practice Squad bound and that's it. The Pats are still high on Davey and Huard is a solid backup.

[Guest cartman]

Deleted. Sorry.

[Guest cartman]

Deleted. sorry. Again.

[Guest El Satanico]

I highly doubt that any ofthe teams truly believed that McGahee would be even close to starting this year. So it doesn't really matter what his agent did to sell his client to them.

[Guest PencilJobber]

Don't think i ever did see the Sid injury wasn't a big fan of WCW in the later days so didn't keep up with it at all.

 

Buffalo got the guy in the 2nd round that they wanted in the first plus they only got the first because they had the sense to put the Franchise tag on Price so you could say Magahee was a luxury pick i mean whats worse knowing a guy may never make it fully back or putting a high draft pick on a Leaf type player that completly fails.