Playoff consultant Nicole Lynn is considered one of the most powerful women in the sports world. Yet she still sometimes gets kicked out of NFL teams’ hotels because she’s mistaken for the stars’ girlfriends
Her friendly smile is deceiving. Nicole Lynn may be a cheerful person. However, when it comes to her clients’ interests, she becomes a tough negotiator.
A quality that makes her the most successful player advisor in the NFL.
Her best-known clients include Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
With Williams selected at number three in the 2019 NFL Draft, Lynn became the first dark-skinned woman to advise a top-five pick. Her personal breakthrough.
“He gave me that opportunity,” Lynn says. “He talked to a lot of other agents before that, many of whom had represented 50 to 100 first-round players. But he believed in me. I’m very grateful to him for wanting to work with me even though I didn’t have that much experience.”
Growing up without water, gas and electricity
Lynn comes from a socially deprived background. “I was the poorest child at school,” she says. “I often didn’t know if there would be food when I got home. We lived in houses without water, gas or electricity.”
This shaped her, she says: “The adversities I experienced as a child definitely had a big impact on my mindset as an adult. I knew I wanted to escape that life and I had to work hard to make that happen.”
She credits the success she has today to her “extremely dedicated work ethic” and her “unwavering faith in God”.
Thanks to good academic performance, she made it to the University of Oklahoma, earning a bachelor’s degree in business management and later a doctorate in law.
“Even when I was 18 and came to college, I quickly realised that I wanted to work with athletes,” she recalls.
First client at 26
With success: Lynn found herself at the players’ agency “PlayersRep”. At the age of only 26, she represented her first client.
Her mentor is David Mulugheta. The highest earning agent in the NFL (salary in 2020: 46.7 million US dollars) is also dark-skinned. The two have a close relationship. However, only insofar as they are not courting the same player.
“I always tell him, ‘I wish you good luck and success, except when I’m competing against you for a player.’ Then I hope you crash and burn’,” Lynn laughs.
The fact that she ended up in this profession as a woman still causes occasional irritation: “I’ve already been kicked out of an NFL team’s hotel by security because they thought I was a player’s girlfriend and wanted to sneak into their hotel room.”
“I’m the Jerry Maguire “
Having come from deprived backgrounds herself would connect her to many NFL stars. “A lot of players grew up similar to me and are now trying to support their families. I know exactly what that’s like and I have a personal connection with my players because of that.”
Lynn, who has even written a book in the meantime, not only ensures that her players receive high-paying contracts. She also advises her clients on how to handle money. “I’ve seen myself how some athletes come into the league, suddenly no longer live in poverty but in wealth, but then are poor again after their career.”
She is confident about the future. “Every time someone thinks of an agent, they will think of me,” she says. “The first person that will come to their mind is a black woman. I’m the Jerry Maguire.”
Comments
No Comments