Jay Z is going out of his way to show people that he is serious about becoming an agent, and not just a token figure in negotiations.
Pro Football Talk is reporting that Jay Z can’t actively recruit players to sign with Roc Nations Sports/CAA without being a NFLPA certified agent, and with that knowledge, he plans to become NFLPA certified.
The concern came up when rival agents started hating on the fact that Jay Z was easily able to recruit Victor Cruz to CAA. Moving forward, Jay Z can’t help recruit or close deals until he is certified.
Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal reports that Jay-Z plans to become certified.
Jay-Z’s sports agency will hire established agents in multiple sports as well as have its own employees, including Jay-Z himself, certified
— Liz Mullen (@SBJLizMullen) April 15, 2013
Mullen points out that the soonest Jay-Z could take the certification test is January 2014, and he may need a post-graduate degree to officially become an agent.
He would have to prove to the NFLPA that he has an extensive background in negotiations. Of course his extensive success and background in music, clothing, and marketing negotiations could be regarded as the kind of “negotiating experience” that would exempt him from those educational requirements.
Jay Z would then have to deal with more backlash from competing agents who say that he’s receiving special treatment because of who he is.