- A sports agent is the subject of bribery allegations regarding his conduct during last month's NFL Draft.
- Agent David Canter allegedly offered gifts to teams, including the use of his vacation properties, if they drafted one of the players he represented.
- The NFL Players Association is currently investigating whether or not Canter violated portions of its Regulations for Contract Advisors.
Up until this year, the biggest scandal involving the NFL Draft was that the trailer for the 2014 movie Draft Day featured a clip of Rick the Intern spilling coffee that didn't make the theatrical cut of the film (and that, like the Ana de Armas scene that got cut from the movie Yesterday, we should legally be able to sue over it).
But one sports agent has conducted themselves in a manner so unbecoming of the time-honored tradition of the NFL Draft that the NFL Players Association is reportedly investigating their behavior to see if it violates its regulations.
According to sources that spoke to ESPN, the agent in question is David Canter, who is suspected of "trying to entice teams to select players he represents during the NFL Draft last month."
"Canter, a longtime agent and the president of football at GSE Worldwide, allegedly contacted several teams throughout the NFL draft weekend offering the use of vacation properties belonging to him and his wife if the team drafted one of his clients, sources told ESPN. Sources described Canter's actions as a 'form of bribery.'"
ESPN's report notes that while "trying to incentivize a team to draft a player is not explicitly prohibited by the NFLPA," the investigation will determine if Canter violated three different articles of their Regulations for Contract Advisors, "including one that prohibits 'engaging in unlawful conduct and/or conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or other activity which reflects adversely on his/her fitness as a Contract Advisor or jeopardizes his/her effective representation of NFL players.'"
The report also notes that "Canter has a prior disciplinary record with the NFLPA, sources told ESPN, and that history is expected to factor into the committee's decision."
"We are aware that the NFLPA is looking into communications between my client and various management personnel of certain NFL teams," said Canter's attorney, Adam Kenner, in a statement to ESPN. "Mr. Canter did not engage in any wrongdoing, and he is fully cooperating with the NFLPA. We expect the situation to be resolved shortly."
These investigations can be lengthy, so we may not know if Canter violated any regulations for a long while—but one thing we know for sure right now: Sonny Weaver, Jr., the general manager of the Cleveland Browns as played by Kevin Costner in Draft Day, would absolutely not have tolerated any of this chicanery.
Michael Natale is the news editor for Best Products, covering a wide range of topics like gifting, lifestyle, pop culture, and more. He has covered pop culture and commerce professionally for over a decade. His past journalistic writing can be found on sites such as Yahoo! and Comic Book Resources, his podcast appearances can be found wherever you get your podcasts, and his fiction can’t be found anywhere, because it’s not particularly good.
