Last night, we were told something could happen very soon regarding the NFLPA’s intention to aggressively explore the circumstances resulting in Jets quarterback Geno Smith hiring Roc Nation employee Kim Miale to be his agent.
Very soon ended up being today.
Per multiple reports, the NFLPA sent a letter of inquiry to Miale on Monday. The goal for now is to find out what role if any Jay-Z had in recruiting Smith to sign with Miale, a previously unknown agent hired by Roc Nation — and then hired by Smith.
Miale will have an opportunity to explain the situation. Her explanation could then result in further questions.
The problem for Jay-Z is that it appears to the objective observer that Smith hired Miale not because of Miale but because of Jay-Z. The problem for the NFLPA is that the union has no jurisdiction over Jay-Z. While action can be taken against Miale and any other agent for whom Jay-Z recruits clients, Jay-Z remains beyond the reach of the union.
Still, the apparent effort to disregard the NFLPA’s rule prohibiting runners will make it even harder for Jay-Z to ever obtain official certification to represent players. He already was facing an uphill climb, given the requirement of an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree. He is believed to have neither.
While Smith did nothing wrong even if NFLPA rules were broken, the controversial rookie quarterback has now landed in another controversy. It’s a controversy that could have been avoided if he’d merely hired Jay-Z to handle Smith’s off-field deals, and a separate, established firm to handle his football contract.