Logan and Marcus stood there, watching me walk away. Their expressions were a little strange. They looked at each other, exchanged a glance, and Logan said, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Marcus nodded seriously. “Yes, the same. I was wondering if that was a sugar daddy?”

“Get out!” Before Marcus could finish, Logan elbowed him hard, and then they both laughed. Logan then said, “I was thinking that the person looked familiar. I felt like he was an important person, but I couldn’t remember who he was for a moment.”

“Leigh Steinberg,” a voice came from behind. They turned around and saw Aldon Smith. He lifted his chin toward the direction where I and the old man had left and gave them the correct answer.

The name was a mouthful. Marcus didn’t react at first. He chewed on the name twice, wondering who this important person was. Logan’s eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers. “Right, Leigh Steinberg!”

Joy and surprise appeared on his face at the same time. Logan bumped Marcus’s shoulder hard. “He’s that legendary agent, one player per era. Right now, he only has one NFL player, Big Ben.”

Marcus’s mouth slowly opened. A look of shock emerged from the depths of his eyes. He was so surprised and shocked that he couldn’t make a sound. Then he turned to Aldon and looked at him for confirmation. His eyes clearly expressed his meaning: Is he really that agent?

In today’s materialistic and profit-driven society, Leigh Steinberg is a truly unique agent. Friendship is more important than money, and players are more important than profit. Such agents have almost disappeared, but Leigh not only still exists, but he is also one of the absolute best in the industry.

It is well known that the players Leigh favors are, first of all, those with unlimited potential, and secondly, those who have something unique about them.

Putting everything else aside, just the title of “a player favored by Leigh Steinberg” is enough to attract countless agents. An unknown player can become the center of attention.

Because Leigh focuses on one player, all of his resources are concentrated on that one player, including sponsorships, media resources, and crisis public relations. He provides the best of the best for that player.

Ben Roethlisberger is the best example. Big Ben’s performance on the field is indeed good, but he is also a master of getting into trouble off the field. He not only drove without a license, which led to a near-fatal car accident, causing countless controversies, but he was also involved in two sexual assault scandals, which even went to court and caused him to lose a lot of endorsement deals.

But thanks to Leigh’s management, Big Ben is still the undisputed “King” of Pittsburgh, just like Brett Favre was in Green Bay.

Every player wants to be a player under Leigh, but this picky Jewish man has never been willing to compromise. For thirty years, he has always stuck to his principles, which has also become a sight to behold in the NFL. For every professional player, the name “Leigh Steinberg” is a household name.

Today, Leigh actually showed up in front of everyone just like that!

Aldon nodded vigorously, confirming it. “I’m sure he’s Leigh Steinberg. He was in the green room at this year’s draft, and my agent even took me over to say hello. It wasn’t just me; almost all the first-round picks’ agents went over to say hello on their own. I wouldn’t be mistaken.”

Aldon Smith was a first-round pick this year, so it was different after all. Before the NCAA season was over, agents had already come looking for him. Even Logan and Marcus had signed with their own agents after the rookie training camp, based on their draft prospects.

As for me, my game samples were too few, and there were too many uncertainties. Even though I performed well at the rookie training camp, no agents came looking for me.

In the NFL draft, scouts, teams, and agents often spend three to four years observing a player. The information on each player can fill an entire bookshelf. They watch it over and over again for three days and three nights. Especially for those first-round picks, every one of their strengths and weaknesses, even a small detail in their private lives, will be put under a microscope.

The draft is about choosing the future of the team, and no one takes it lightly.

There were countless shooting stars like me who only shined for a moment in the rookie training camp. But what really determines a team’s choice is a player’s performance on the field over the past three or four years. And that’s exactly what I’m missing. So, I went undrafted, and no agents came to inquire.

By a strange coincidence, I got to meet Leigh Steinberg.

Marcus and Logan’s mouths were wide open. They exchanged a look and then started wailing. “Woooo, Bambi’s gonna be rich! Bambi’s gonna be rich!”

The other teammates nearby also came forward to ask questions. In the blink of an eye, the news spread like wildfire throughout the entire team. Many rookie players also joined in on the fun, wanting to go see what the famous “Jerry Maguire” looked like. This nickname comes from the movie of the same name, starring Tom Cruise, which was based on Leigh Steinberg’s personal experiences.

The San Francisco 49ers team started to get noisy, while Leigh and I walked further away toward the restaurant, leaving all the commotion behind us for now.

“Congratulations on another victory today.” Leigh and I walked toward the hotel restaurant, our pace a little slower. Leigh didn’t rush to get to the point but instead started making small talk.

“Thank you.” I graciously accepted the congratulations. “I didn’t know you were in Cincinnati.”

Leigh had his hands behind his back and looked at me with a smile. He didn’t say anything, but his wise eyes showed the look of an elder looking at a junior. He was full of smiles and was carefully sizing me up. After a while, he continued, “Come on, you should be smarter than that, or rather, you should be more confident.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “So you’re saying you came to Cincinnati specifically to watch my game?”

“That’s right. I knew you were smart enough,” Leigh nodded lightly in agreement, which made me smile. “I needed to watch your game up close. You know, watching a game on TV and watching it at the stadium are completely different. Do you believe that?”

“Of course. Standing outside the stadium and standing on the field are also completely different,” I replied, not falling behind and not feeling nervous or awkward at all.

Either I didn’t know who Leigh was and what he represented, or I had a good attitude and was facing his appearance with a calm demeanor.

As for Leigh, he leaned toward the latter. “I can’t imagine what it feels like for a quarterback to stand on the field and command a game.”

“In fact, you don’t feel anything,” I said with a smile. “All emotions have actually completely disappeared. Tactics, tactics, tactics. There’s only this one thought in my mind. As for the nervousness and panic, they exist in a hidden way. It could be a change in my throwing motion or a loss of control over the strength of my throw. These are things we can’t control. So, the only thing we need to do is to focus, focus, and focus again, and then hope that we can regain control.”

“And did you regain control?” Leigh asked out of the blue.

Rarely, I didn’t answer right away but thought about it seriously. “I thought I did, but I’m still learning.”

For athletes, they must be confident. Only by truly believing in themselves can they create miracles. Any self-doubt can lead to a different result. But at the same time, they can’t be blindly confident. Only by realizing their weaknesses and facing their shortcomings can they become stronger. It’s a contradiction, but they coexist.

This is the truth of the arena. For rookie players, especially those who are considered prodigies, they have to go through countless trials and tribulations to develop this. But I have already tasted the outline—perhaps I started learning it during my time as a practice player in college.

Leigh liked this quality in me. It was very unique. He wasn’t sure if it was related to my Chinese-American identity or my difficult professional career, but he was sure that this quality was being integrated into my game. In time, it might become the key to my ability to influence a game.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz,” the sound of a phone vibrating came from my pocket. It happened to be in a gap in the conversation and was particularly obvious.

I gave Leigh an apologetic smile. “Sorry.” Then I took out my phone, looked at the caller ID, and hung up. I put it back in my pocket. But before I could speak again, the phone vibrated again. I repeated the same actions.

Leigh said with a chuckle, “You can answer the phone. I don’t mind.”

I waved my hand and said casually, “No, it’s nothing. Just some sales calls.”

“If those agents heard you describe them like that, they’d be heartbroken,” Leigh said teasingly.

My smile lingered for a moment before I smiled again. “I’m sure they’re not that fragile. They can handle it.”

As Leigh had guessed, the two calls were from sports agents, but I didn’t answer them. At this moment, the phone rang for the third time, but this time it was a text message.

I took out my phone again, put it on silent, and then threw it back into my pants pocket. Finally, it was quiet.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep