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Neil's brief primer: Bryan played several sports at a private school in New Jersey with strong athletic programs.From there, he went to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., where he played scholarship lacrosse. Next, he attended law school at Seton Hall, finishing in 2014 and taking the New York and New Jersey state bar exams that summer. Three years later, he sat for the NFLPA exam and passed on the first try.
Active NFL clients: North Carolina OT
R.J. Prince tried out first with the Packers and next with the Steelers, winning a UDFA deal in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Kansas State WO
Byron Pringle was the subject of a post-draft bidding war; he wound up with the Chiefs. Finally, Samford OB
Shaheed Salmon tried out with the Bucs but was sent home. A week later, the team called him back and signed him.
Why did he become an agent?: "It's something I was always interested in, and I thought would make a pretty cool job. I grew up around a lot of NFL guys in Florham Park, NJ, and had an interest in sports. It's always something I wanted to do, and it was something that was in reach. I figured, why not?"
Day job: Personal injury/medical malpractice associate with Florham Park, NJ-based
McHugh and Imbornone.
His take on the NFLPA exam: "It wasn't easy, that's for sure. Reading (ITL's) materials leading up to it was a tremendous help for sure. I wouldn't have passed it If not for the
(ITL) study guide and
practice exam. It was difficult, but after you take the NY bar exam, there are not many tests you're gonna be intimidated by. Working 13 hours per day, your time is limited. That's why the materials were a great help."
Hardest part of being an agent: "Getting to know a kid, seeing how passionate they are about their sport . . . and then the draft comes around and they go undrafted, go unsigned, and they look to you for answers. And it's kinda difficult to tell a kid, 'hey man, we did our best, but maybe you don't have it.'"
He felt like he'd had a successful first year as a contract advisor when . . .: "When Byron got the call that he'd been invited to the Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl is always this huge event that you always watch and hear about, and all of the sudden, I mean, I took the test in (July), passed in October, and then I got the call from the Senior Bowl in January. I was like, 'I'm going to Mobile now.' That was pretty cool."
Lesson he learned that he wished he's known before he got certified: "What I learned was how to deal with scouts in terms of communication. As a lawyer, I was sending out emails and no response, but you text the scouts, and they'll text you back. For me, texting is an intrusive thing. You would never text a lawyer you were in a case with. You would send an email. But texting is wildly accepted and
the mode of communication."
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Neil Stratton
