ESPN Insider: DeBartolo plotting NFL comeback

[Optimus Moo]

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There have been rumors the past several years that former San Francisco owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., ostensibly forced to sell the 49ers to his sister after he was charged by federal investigators in 1997 of bribing Louisiana officials in an attempt to secure a riverboat license, would attempt to get back into football.

Well, now rumor is reality, and "Eddie D" is back in the NFL.

Kind of.

Now... can someone who actually subscribes to ESPN Insider give us the scoop?

[Smith2Bryant]

Prompted by the March reunion of his former 49ers Super Bowl teams in Las Vegas, a lavish affair in which DeBartolo rubbed shoulders and reminisced with a lot of the stars who helped him win league championships, he formed DeBartolo Sports & Entertainment. And in his first big move toward creating a powerhouse sports representation entity, he purchased the firm of longtime NFL agent Ralph Cindrich in a seven-figure transaction.

Full disclosure: One of the pioneers of the NFL agent business and a leader in the field for three decades, Cindrich is an old college classmate of yours truly at the University of Pittsburgh. And when we say "classmate," it's appropriate, because Cindrich was one of the few Pitt football players of that era who we recall actually attending classes. So our feeling for Cindrich, as one of the most scrupulous and above-board guys in a field that can get pretty tawdry, is a bit biased.

Those kinds of straight shooters in the agent business have suffered in recent years. And while Cindrich still maintained a strong clientele, the support and resources he will have in partnering with DeBartolo will certainly expand his reach. Cindrich will serve as chief operating officer for the company, which will employ four certified agents and figures to seek other well-established firms for buyouts.

In fact, DeBartolo hopes to acquire another agency in the not-too-distant future.

"The part of the game that Eddie definitely missed the most was his relationships with the players," said Cindrich, who has been cited by The Sporting News in the past as one of the 100 most influential people in the NFL. "He had a passion for the kind of camaraderie he created between himself and his players. You can see he's excited about being able to form new relationships like that."

The agency will represent athletes in other sports, coaches and probably entertainers. But the primary focus at the outset will be on football.

Because of the late start in the always-competitive recruiting process, DeBartolo Sports might realize only modest success this year. But there is little doubt, given DeBartolo's history, that the firm will operate in a first-class manner and be successful. DeBartolo doesn't do anything halfway. Having built a powerhouse NFL franchise, he's now focused on constructing a powerhouse representation firm.

the rest is just around the league stuff

[Optimus Moo]

the rest is just around the league stuff

Wonder what'll happen the first time he gets a player who enters talks with the 49ers? Of course it likely won't be him directly involved in the negotiations so it's probably wouldn't be that big of a deal.