How Black sports agents are making a bigger impact on the business of NFL

The lives of numerous athletes will be changed today as the NFL Draft kicks off in Detroit. Following the excitement of being selected by an NFL franchise, the players and their families will have to get down to business. Salary negotiations are inevitable, and the right sports agent can help players gain millions when it comes to performance incentives.& & But when it comes to sports agents, the lack of diversity is glaring. Although there are 57.5% of Black players in the NFL, the are only 7.5% Black agents represent players, according to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in& Sport. & Deryk Gilmore of Day One Sports and Entertainment, an Atlanta-based sports agency, recently spoke with ADW about the disparities and how to change the dynamics when it comes to representation.& & “There are so many really good Black agents, but I think the biggest thing is educating the players on that so that they know those agents,” Gilmore said. “Unfortunately, I’ll still get that question, ‘are you doing the contract?’ I think it’s a mindset that we have to educate a lot of the players that there’s quality people who are working on deals and doing great things....