Philly-based sports agent featured in new show on Esquire Network

PHILLY-BASED NFL agent Ed Wasielewski, who heads what he acknowledges is a "boutique" agency, EMG Sports, gains a higher national profile starting Tuesday with the debut of "The Agent," an Esquire Network series that focuses on four people plying their trade in the sport that obsesses much of America.

Wasielewski and New York-based producer Amani Martin came up with the concept, Wasielewski said. As part of their pitch, they used a Daily News story written three years ago, in which Zach Berman, now with the Inquirer, shadowed Wasielewski during the 2012 NFL draft.

"For some reason, there seem to be a lot of people who aren't sure what agents do . . . There seems to be a little bit of intrigue," Wasielewski said this week. "They seem to hear about the contract negotiations part, but what about the day-to-day stuff, working with the athletes? We want to pull back the layers and expose the day-to-day operations of what an agent is doing for his NFL players."

Wasielewski, who represents several clients with area roots, has two Eagles on the current 90-man roster - wideout Quron Pratt, from Palmyra, N.J., and Rutgers, and defensive end B.J. McBryde, from UConn and Beaver Falls, Pa.

Pratt, who spent last season on the Eagles' practice squad, said he gets a brief screen time on the show.

"I bought my first car last year, during the season, so I got a little segment," said Pratt, who went for a dark-gray Dodge Challenger. "I always wanted one of those growing up."

"Ed is just an all-around great guy. He looks out for his players, does everything in his power to help," Pratt said of Wasielewski, who said he has more than 30 NFL clients. "I wanted somebody who is loyal . . . I didn't want to get caught up in the stupid stuff. I know Ed's a great guy, a loyal guy, so I signed with him."

The most veteran of the four agents chronicled on the show is Denver-based Peter Schaffer, whose past clients include Barry Sanders and former Eagles Pro Bowl offensive tackle Tra Thomas.

The others two are Louisiana-based Jeff Guerriero and New York's Sunny Shah.

After the contract gets done, Wasielewski said, the agent should look for such things as merchandising deals.

"Developing the player's brand I feel is something we do very well," said Wasielewski, 42, who graduated from Villanova, then Temple Law School. "That's very important to a player nowadays, especially with social media.

"The average NFL career is only 3.5 years, so you want to make sure the player has a good financial team around him."

Wasielewski said he passed the NFL agent exam and the bar exam in 2003. For five years, he practiced law and represented players; now he works only as an agent.

His first client, in 2005, was Jermaine Hardy, a safety from Virginia who started out with the Arizona Cardinals. Hardy's roommate, Isaiah Ekejuba, noticed the high level of personal attention Hardy was getting from his agent, even though Hardy was an undrafted rookie. (It was easy to provide a high level of attention, since Hardy was Wasielewski's only client.) But Ekejuba was impressed, and soon, Wasielewski had two clients.

"This is really a way of life for me." Wasielewski said. "I don't really look at it as a career . . . This is my lifestyle. The agent business, you don't punch a clock. It's not 9-to-5. You're living this thing 24-7."

And starting Tuesday, he'll watch himself living it on a TV screen.

Blog: ph.ly/Eagletarian