Business
For many years Steinberg and Jeff Moorad had a sports agency partnership (Steinberg, Moorad & Dunn or "SMD"). They sold that firm in October 1999 to Assante Sports Management Group, a Canadian financial-management firm, for a reported $120 million. Assante acquired several other sports agencies. In February 2002, David Dunn left SMD to open Athletes First, taking about 50 N.F.L. players with him and opening offices about a mile from Steinberg's in Newport Beach, Calif. Extensive litigation ensued involving Dunn and Assante. Steinberg later reacquired some pieces of the agency he had sold to Assante. Steinberg’s firm, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, maintains offices in Newport Beach, California.
Steinberg has successfully negotiated over $2 billion in contracts for superstars like Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and Ryan Leaf. He has represented the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft a record eight times, in addition to representing over 60 other first round draft picks in the NFL. He has also represented multiple first round picks and hall of famers in MLB and the NBA. Furthermore, his practice evolved beyond traditional representation into both Golf and the Olympics. In addition to athlete representation, his firm represented multiple teams and colleges.
Steinberg has been rated the #6 Most Powerful Person in the NFL according to “Football Digest,” and the #16 Most Powerful Person in Sports according to “Sporting News.” His firm was the pinnacle of athlete representation, while also ensuring that his clients sought out social responsibility over social status.
In addition to representing players, Steinberg has been a leader in advocating player safety. He has campaigned for the removal of Astroturf from stadiums and held symposia on concussions, which promote rule, equipment and diagnostic changes to better protect players. Leigh's experiences have driven him to champion this cause, becoming a keynote speaker at several conferences, including the “New Developments in Sports-Related Concussions” conference hosted by the worldwide leader in traumatic brain injury research, the University of Pittsburgh Medical College Sport Medicine Department. Leigh was one of the first to shed light on the concussion issues in professional sports, calling it a “ticking time bomb” and an “undiagnosed health epidemic”.
Steinberg is also a board member for DeskSite.
Read more about this topic: Leigh Steinberg
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