Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has developed a playbook for dealing with media reports that he doesn’t like.
True or not, he just denies them in a tweet.
That’s what he did in response to a tweet regarding the memo from the NFL alerting all teams to the fact that Ken Francis “may be contacting Clubs and attempting to persuade Club personnel to enter into negotiations with or concerning Lamar Jackson.”
“Stop Lying that man never tried to negotiate for me,” Jackson tweeted.
While it’s theoretically possible that Francis, whom Jackson has admitted is his business partner, may have contacted teams without Jackson’s knowledge, Francis has absolutely contacted multiple teams trying to spark negotiations toward an offer sheet.
It’s also believed Francis has been communicating with reporters regarding Lamar’s situation. Which would help explain how ESPN.com so quickly tracked Francis down and secured a predictable denial.
“I don’t speak for Lamar,” Francis told ESPN.com.
It’s unclear why Jackson and Francis would so fervently deny something that is true. Maybe Jackson, who has held himself out stubbornly and resolutely as being self-represented, wants to continue to perpetuate that perception. Or maybe he doesn’t want to anger the NFL Players Association, which has been helping him negotiate with the Ravens.
Regardless, Francis contacted multiple teams in an effort to entice them to pursue Lamar. Now, all teams have been told to communicate only with Lamar, unless and until he hires an NFLPA-certified agent.