Tyler Lockett's Real Estate Sponsorship

[RiverDog]

Have you guys heard of this? A few years ago, Tyler Lockett formed his own company, Liv N Serve Real Estate. Now, after Lockett approached them, his company has become the official sponsor of the Seattle Seahawks, replacing Windermere in that role:

The news from early May the receiver Tyler Lockett's real estate company has become an official sponsor of the Seahawks raised a few eyebrows at the time, given that the non-football business relationship potentially opens the door for the team to give benefits to a player that don't, but should, fall under the salary cap.

“I kind of brought it up," Lockett said. "I learned the worst thing that can happen is people say no, so I kind of reached out to the Seahawks upstairs on the third floor. I talked to them just about the opportunity to be able to do a partnership. I learned about them just throughout the years of me being here, they had one with Windermere and so when I heard that Windermere wasn’t going to do it anymore, I had an opportunity to see if it was even possible to do it. We went through all the rules, the laws, the regulations, we did everything the right way and so I’m thankful to even be able to have a chance to do that.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/ty ... r-AA1ewgSu

Are we opening a Pandora's box? Unless Lockett's company is paying a fair market price for this sponsorship, in other words, roughly the same amount that Windermere paid...and they don't give out these sponsorships for free...Lockett, or his company, is receiving a valuable benefit worth millions. Suppose Joey Bosa tells the Niners that he'll re-sign with him if they sponsor his (hypothetical) athletic wear company that he started? It would give the Niners an unfair advantage over other teams that might be interested in signing Bosa if they did not have such a sponsorship available to offer. And all sponsorships are not created equal. A sponsorship of the Dallas Cowboys is going to be worth more than a sponsorship of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The other problem here is the lack of transparency. This is a sport that is highly dependent on teams managing their player payroll budget, and no one knows how much money, if any, Lockett is paying for this benefit. If they're going to allow such relationships, the amount needs to be made public. Otherwise, it has the appearance of getting paid under the table.

There's also a conflict-of-interest problem. The team isn't going to give away this benefit to a back-up offensive guard. They are only going to cut such a deal with one of their stars, preferential treatment, a perk given to one player but not to others, like having your own office in the training facility like you-know-who. It has the potential to cause a rub with other members of the team.

IMO the league needs to regulate these partnerships. It's compensation that has a specific financial value that is not being counted towards the salary cap. They need to either assign a fair market value to this sponsorship and add it to Lockett's contracted salary for purposes of calculating the cap or ban it all together.

[NorthHawk]

Like the linked article said, Brady did it with the Patriots and TB12, so the precedent has been set. Maybe it's part of why he didn't max out on his salary demands.
It does sound a little underhanded, but if it's not against the rules then why not take advantage of it? I think it's a good thing that the Seahawks are helping a player prepare for after football and I wonder how much they help others who have already retired and changed careers into the business world.

[RiverDog]

Like the linked article said, Brady did it with the Patriots and TB12, so the precedent has been set. Maybe it's part of why he didn't max out on his salary demands.
It does sound a little underhanded, but if it's not against the rules then why not take advantage of it? I think it's a good thing that the Seahawks are helping a player prepare for after football and I wonder how much they help others who have already retired and changed careers into the business world.

Yep, Brady did it, and the Brady Haters really got upset even though the league had assured them that they had scrutinized the deal thoroughly and determined that it was within accepted limits.

But two wrongs don't make a right. IMO the league should not have permitted Brady's arrangement, nor should they permit Lockett's or any other player's business to co-mingle with their team's unless it's accounted for, salary adjustments made, and every detail made public so we're assured that it's all above board. This has a huge potential for abuse.

Aaron Rodgers just re-did his contract and reduced his salary by $35M. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Jets did something similar to compensate him. Rodgers has demonstrated a very high degree of selfishness in the past and it's hard for me to believe that he's suddenly turned a new leaf and become this warm and fuzzy philanthropist.

[NorthHawk]

Rodgers is a strange bird. Maybe he got enlightened using LSD or something and is seeing things differently.
But I suspect we won't really know. Maybe he really thinks this can be a championship team and has gone all in to win another ring.

[RiverDog]

Rodgers is a strange bird. Maybe he got enlightened using LSD or something and is seeing things differently.
But I suspect we won't really know. Maybe he really thinks this can be a championship team and has gone all in to win another ring.

If I had any respect for Rodgers, I lost it during the pandemic. Strange bird is an understatement. The guy is a first-class A-hole. As many negative things I've said about Russell Wilson, he's a saint when compared to Rodgers.

[Aseahawkfan]

Don't much care. League is making billions. Players should get money however they can.

[NorthHawk]

Don't much care. League is making billions. Players should get money however they can.

I generally agree with this but it can become a problem if teams are using it to circumvent the Salary Cap rules.

[RiverDog]

Don't much care. League is making billions. Players should get money however they can.

I generally agree with this but it can become a problem if teams are using it to circumvent the Salary Cap rules.

That's just it. No one's complaining about the players making money on side businesses. If the Hawks want to help Lockett make some money, then fine. Determine what the sponsorship is worth and add it to his salary for purposes of the cap.

These sponsorships are not created equal. A sponsorship of the Cowboys is worth one helluva lot more than that of a small market team. They have to be regulated or else you can bet your bottom dollar that Jerry Jones will figure out a way to make them work to his advantage.

[NorthHawk]

In the back of my mind I keep thinking that's a part of why Brady didn't demand a kings ransom from NE. He was getting paid through the back door. It's just my mind that's thinking that but it could be an avenue for others in the future.

[RiverDog]

In the back of my mind I keep thinking that's a part of why Brady didn't demand a kings ransom from NE. He was getting paid through the back door. It's just my mind that's thinking that but it could be an avenue for others in the future.

It's been in more places than in the back of your mind. It's been in mine, too. And I'm suspicious of Aaron Rodgers new deal where he slashed $35M off his contracted salary. Is he getting some sort of sweetheart arrangement, too? The guy is such a self-serving prick that I have a hard time believing that he's had some sort of religious experience that has caused him to become such a philanthropist.

[trents]

"Liv N Serve Real Estate" An interesting name for a business. I wonder what's behind the name. Sounds like something a man of Lockett's character would be involved with.