Should Players Be Responsible for Their Agents?

[NJNJ]

In the realm of N.B.A. discipline, some things are clear-cut. Throw a punch — get suspended. Rip the referees — get fined. The rules are as embedded in player psyches as the three-second violation.

 

But the league opened a new front last week when it fined the Knicks’ Nate Robinson $25,000 for a trade demand issued by his agent, Aaron Goodwin. It was the first time a player had been punished for someone else’s actions, a curious landmark in the N.B.A.

 

Joel Litvin, the league’s president of basketball operations, said, “we don’t separate player from agent.’’

 

It is an interesting new twist in the N.B.A.’s longstanding rules on player speech -– one the union is contesting. But the league considers this a practical matter: If agents are free to make trade demands, rip referees or criticize coaches, then the N.B.A.’s player-conduct rules are rendered meaningless.

 

“The agent has a legal relationship with that player,’’ Litvin said. “He speaks for the player, he acts for the player, he’s a fiduciary for that player. You can only imagine if we didn’t hold players accountable for the actions and words of their agents, how easy it would be to get around a lot of our rules. We don’t think players can disown what agents are saying and doing on their behalf.’’

 

This is where the issue gets murky, and where the players association gets testy. It is impossible to prove whether Goodwin was acting on his own, or at Robinson’s request. In fact, they contradicted each other, with Goodwin issuing the trade demand on Dec. 19 and Robinson telling reporters the next day that he wanted to stay put.

 

“The union has never agreed, either implicitly or explicitly, to allow a player to be disciplined for a representative’s comments, or any other third party’s comments for that matter,’’ Dan Wasserman, the union’s spokesman, said. “Especially in an instance where the player has repeatedly made it clear he is not seeking a trade.’’

 

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[bravenewworld]

Rough topic.

I am all for the idea that one should be held accountable by their own actions, but agents are nothing more then a proxy. The issue about the agent bringing this up on his own could be an important one as well that will probably have league changing results.

Here is one thing i am wondering... How come there have been dozens of players the past 5 years who have demanded trades yet this is the first time i am hearing about a fine.

[Flash]

You get fined for asking for a trade? Sweet idea

[Poe]

You get fined for asking for a trade? Sweet idea

With twittering becoming fine-worthy, are you really that surprised?

[Flash]

This is Roger Goodell esque.