The University of Southern California today will host an invitation-only "Agent Awareness, Education and Eligibility Summit" to address the challenges faced by schools, student-athletes and coaches when dealing with agents.
Representatives of the NCAA, the NFL, the NFL Players Association, and the Pac-10 and Southeastern conferences, as well as athletic directors from every Pac-10 school and several prominent agents, are expected to attend.
According to The Orange County Register, the event is being presented by the USC Professional Sports Counseling Panel, a USC athletic department program that provides information, learning opportunities and services to Trojan student-athletes interested in pursuing professional athletic careers.
Last month, USC presented its appeal to the NCAA Committee on Infractions Appeals regarding a case involving former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, who received roughly $300,000 in extra benefits through sports marketing agents. The Trojans banned themselves from the 2010 basketball postseason over extra-benefits violations involving player O.J. Mayo, and running back Dillon Baxter was suspended for one game during the 2010 football season after accepting an agent's offer for a ride in a golf cart.
Last week, USC athletic director Pat Haden and vice president of athletic compliance David Baxter warned Trojan athletes via e-mail not to attend a Super Bowl party organized by former USC football players, one of whom has ties to an entertainment company owned by Teague Egan, the agent involved in the Baxter case, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"Obviously, the issue of college student-athletes dealing with agents is a hot-button topic," Haden said in a statement released Monday. "We at USC know that first hand. We decided to organize this summit so that all of us at USC can pick the brains of our peers throughout the Pac-10 and also hear from those on the firing lines at the NCAA and Pac-10, at the NFL and within the agent community. Our goal is to gain valuable input in this area as we move forward here at USC, and also to provide a constructive dialogue and exchange of ideas between all of the participants."
